I note the calls for Byron shire councillor Rose Wanchap to resign. I agree she has hijacked democracy in this shire. I am particularly aggrieved by her voting at the last council meeting to knock back the Council’s Koala Plan of Management.
Almost four years in the drafting and costing tens of thousands of dollars, employing experts and liaising with government agencies, Byron Council staff should be commended for this comprehensive Plan of Management which sets out to protect Byron’s remaining koala population.
Yet Rose voted with the pro-development bloc on council to reject the plan, despite it receiving overwhelming support in public submissions.
The immediate implication of this is that it allows the West Byron development to go ahead in its present form which includes the clearing of core koala habitat.
Our koalas have become a political football. It’s an ugly game that could lead to their extinction.
Rose’s defection is untenable given this scenario. Decency and the future survival of our koala’s demands she resigns.
Yvette Steinhauer, Byron Bay
+362
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
