Great letter Alan Veacock (2 February) regarding our ‘independent’ newly elected Ballina Councillors suddenly reverting back to grubby National Party partisan politics (shouldn’t surprise anyone), by refusing to adopt the more cost-effective and democratic countback method of replacing councillors who are unable to serve their full terms.
This group of four Nationals diehards – Sharon Cadwallader, a failed Nationals preselection candidate, Eva Ramsey, who laughingly claims to be her own woman, Rod Bruem another failed Nationals preselection candidate, who launched an extraordinary and petulant political attack on the Labor candidates who ran very close fourths in the election, and Phil Meehan who has long links to the Nationals – are going to be a very divisive distraction within the Council indeed.
Cr Bruem seems to forget he was only elected by 88 votes after preferences, and Cr Ramsay only received 371 primary votes and was only elected because she received all of Sharon Cadwallader’s Councillor votes after Sharon was elected Mayor.
Voters are not going to forget that they were told by Cadwallader’s team they were electing Independents, not failed vindictive Nationals with a score to settle. Thank heavens there are six other Councillors who were elected for all the right reasons and do take pride in serving their constituents in an open and honest manner.
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. 
