evidenced by Darren Walsh. (Independent 2/8/12) How hard is it for he and several other council candidates to grasp that the reason the Peter Besseling council candidacy story made the front page of “the other paper” is because it was NEWS. It’s not about fairness or treating everybody who wants to run for council equally – it’s what newspapers do! The Independent also gave this story a very high profile for the same reason.
Mr Walsh also refers to “true” Independents?? Who?? An Independent is someone who runs for public office without the support/membership of a political party, as Mr Besseling has done. The fact that he has the financial support of a staunch Nationals member and a running mate who was previously a Liberal, only serves to highlight the worth of his Independent candidacy and his appeal across political ideals.
As to Mr Walsh’s comments re the Glasshouse- it is a sad fact that the building is extremely unlikely to ever generate enough revenue to turn a profit and cover the loan costs – it simply cost too much to build, as our previous council found out. We are stuck with the building and the loan and must do the best we can – it is a magnificent structure and has improved the cultural identity and opportunities of Port immensely.
Mr Walsh is also concerned about “a replication of the dysfunctional Federal Govt.” This “dysfunctional Govt.” has passed over 330 Bills and embarked on unprecedented regional investment and social change (much of it due to the influence of our Local Member). We have low inflation, low interest rates, low unemployment and currently enjoy the status of the “best performing economy in the world’ – we should all be so dysfunctional!
Mr Walsh was “surprised” when visiting “special interest group meetings” to find that “a very high percentage of people attending are affiliated with special interest groups” – who did he expect to see there!?
Yes, Mr Walsh, we do need to reach out to the entire community for their thoughts about “big decisions”, but those decisions need to be made by our elected representatives who are hopefully intelligent, well informed and well advised by knowledgeable council professionals.
It is hoped that those who present themselves for council election will be intelligent, have a firm grasp of current financial conditions and operate without political favour or prejudice for the good of the community – nothing personal, Mr Walsh, but I don’t believe you reach these basic standards.
Shane Stelzer
Port Macquarie
