Wilf Sprengel, Ocean Shores.
Once our Byron Council was divided into wards and each ward had an elected councillor.
Their main duty was all about the three Rs – roads, rubbish and rates. Currently Byron Bay is to Ocean Shores as West Sydney is to Bondi.
Regrettably and wards were removed and as ridiculous as it is the election of our councillors go along the same line of state and federal elections – purely political .
There is no room whatsoever for political party representatives on local councils. For instance, if the Greens want to involve themselves in local government, they should be encouraging their local council to focus on what they do best and that is on purely local issues and not be involved in things outside council’s durance such as trying to change the date of Australia Day. This only being mischievous and divisive.
Councillors should continue to do what they do best and that is to bring communities together. So bring back Wards and then we would once again have true people representatives on Council and a Council who will be advised where to spend their money and not on a Byron Bay rainbow coloured bridges.
Well, if you want political wrangling go for Wards. I said for Wards , not forwards. When you have wards the ward with the biggest clout gets the money and infrastructure and the others don’t. So some wards join forces with other wards and say I will vote for that if you vote of this. Sounds political hey?
And so some wards join cliques and they trade off votes for some things for votes for others.
So you figure it out, do the people or the ratepayers get what the want for their money. No. They get politics and mishmash.
Some Wards have tarred road but they have not got sewerage, that sort of thing. The Shire then does not grow as an entity as there is too much competition between Wards.