The problem with Byron Shire councillors making decisions in confidential sessions ‘behind closed doors’ is that no-one knows what really happened apart from those in the room.
In the case of the Mullumbimby and Byron Bay pool tenders (Echo, 27 May) even The Echo had no idea that all four Greens councillors were, according to independent Cr Michael Lyon, in favour of awarding the Mullum Pool tender to Belgravia, the interstate tenderer, instead of the local tenderer.
Again, according to Cr Lyon, they only wanted to keep the local tenderer for the Byron pool. Cr Lyon said they were in the ‘confidential’ session, and the Greens only voted ‘against the motion’ – as reported in the paper – because it was a ‘package deal’ involving two pool leases. This led to the unexplained reference in the complaint by Crs Lyon and Dods (Letters, 3 June) that The Greens had let other councillors take the heat for something for which there was at least a partial ‘consensus’.
Of course, this is just a rumour based on what Cr Lyon wrote to The Echo – how much better it would be if The Echo’s electronic bugs didn’t malfunction?
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. 
