Tom Tabart, Co-founder, Byron Greens
The Greens team for the Council election has a problem with the inclusion of Sarah Ndiaye, the preferred successor of Simon Richardson, and his unwavering supporter.
Richardson, you may recall, publicly scorned effective governance, alienating many long-time Greens supporters. Major concerns such as the failing water and sewage system and the 4Corners-exposed rubbish-running-racket to Queensland were ignored or minimised as too hard for the staff.
Other Richardson collaborators have moved on. The ‘lucky’ Greens have kept the services of Cr Ndiaye, but I fail to understand how they managed to ignore her Council record and accept her nomination, let alone contrive to promote her to number two in their voting order. (The ‘affirmative action’ system that advantaged Ndiaye has been largely abandoned at local government level in the Greens.)
The real irony is that Matthew O’Reilly, the only Greens candidate to have thoroughly prepared, and who has the qualities to be a very effective councillor, has been elbowed aside by this ‘accommodation’ and will probably miss out. Voters can still support Matthew by numbering below the line on the ballot.
I was disappointed that the politically experienced members of the team opted to hold their nose and look the other way.
I am expecting my AVO in the mail.
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. 
