Cr Youngblutt has a full one-page advert asking readers to vote for him. His team’s policies are to build a dam, get better deals for seniors, create better facilities for youth, revitalise South Murwillumbah, build more infrastructure at Banora Point and Tweed Heads, improve roads etc, all of which require vast sums of money when the council is already $10 million in debt.
Yet, amazingly enough, he promises no excessive rate increases. Realistically how is council going to pay for all these things? Where is the money coming from? A dam at Byrrill Creek would cost minimum $90 million and counting. Does he think we are all stupid?
At the last election Cr Youngblutt got the least votes of all seven councillors and barely scraped in. His behaviour in council has been extremely disrespectful to Tweed citizens (calling 80 per cent of voters ‘morons’, referring to Green voters as having ‘two heads’ and telling Cr Milne to ‘go outside and have a cry’), which is against council’s code of conduct for councillors.
Judging by his pattern of voting on motions relating to wildlife, Cr Youngblutt appears to have no concern for biodiversity protection. He (and his sidekick Cr Polglase) voted in favour of a greyhound racing track in South Murwillumbah.
When I told him he should be ashamed of himself for not voting for a koala motion put up by Cr Milne he told me to ‘grow up’. If this is his behaviour in the past, can we really expect any reasonable behaviour in the future, if he gets back in?
Being pro-development is one thing but not at the expense of our beautiful Tweed Valley and its amazing diversity of native animals! It’s what makes Tweed so special; otherwise we will just end up as another Gold Coast look-alike, ugly concrete in all directions.
Menkit Prince
Uki
Only last week someone remarked to me about Phil Youngblutt’s apparent somnambulism while attending council meetings. He’s better off at home, tucked up in bed and letting someone younger and more alert take his place.
Unfortunately there are forces in this shire that wish the Gold Coast was extended down to Wooyung. Fortunately many do not want to see this happen and will reflect this in their voting.
I also hope that a new generation of voters, who don’t identify with the old 20th century mind-set, will elect fresh and awake councillors.