The new Ballina Council does not seem to be going to plan for the ‘purple shirt’ brigade seen during the recent local government elections. A failed motion moved by Cr Bruem of the ‘purple shirts’ has resulted in an embarrassing defeat for their leader, the newly installed mayor, Cr Sharon Cadwallader. She and her cohort were defeated six votes to four on a motion to hold a by-election instead of a simple ‘countback’ in order to fill a vacancy in the event of a retirement or resignation of any sitting councillor.
When moving the motion Cr Bruem, a keen supporter of the mayor, indicated that a ‘countback’ would result in the vacant seat being filled by a member of the ALP. Not on his sweet nellie, anybody but. Blinded by his prejudice against the ALP, the good councillor did not take into account the cost to the ratepayers of holding a by-election against the cost of a ‘countback’ where the candidate with the next highest number of votes fills the vacancy. Simple and cheap.
On moving the motion Cr Bruem must have thought he could not lose. Fortunately for Ballina he did lose, six votes to four. A failed National, as is the current mayor, Cr Bruem missed out on gaining preselection to represent the Nationals for the state seat of Lismore prior to the last state election. Having failed to gain preselection, Cr Bruem appealed, no doubt having never considered defeat a possibility. His appeal was dismissed.
And so Ballina Council now has to deal with two failed Nationals together with two lap-dog conservatives one of whom tells us that she is her own woman. It is amazing what a candidate will spruik during an election campaign but on election immediately toes the party line drawn by the mayor.
Cr Bruem would be wise to lay off slagging the Labor Party and just get on with doing the job he was elected to do. The Labor Party has this nasty habit of fighting back and with not even three years to the next election Cr Bruem and his conservative mates need to get on with running the council and spend less time attacking their political opponents.
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. 
