To Councillor Innes and all the other elected Councillors including the general manager.
Dear Councillors
When individuals are elected by the areas voters to be holders of public office they actually sign up to community responsibilities as the communities elected council delegates. Once elected they become the community voice in the operations of the council, to be there as the community representatives watching over Council activities, budgets and proposals. A key role is to ensure the Council remains an establishment meeting the needs, within the available funds to best service the people and to work as a body rather than to services the predilections of individual elected public representatives. Councillor Jack Tait was correct when he said that to be a councillor you needed to attend EVERY Tuesday (for breifings and meetings) and the General Manager, in reducing Public Access sessions, advised that councillors were able to be contacted at any time by email or phone call on their council provided devices.
When elected you are a councillor for four years. Elected to represent and to present on behalf of ratepayers. To observe, to question, to explore and to respond. Holidays are not included in the criteria of the responsibilities of the public's elected representatives. In the case of Councillors such as the chairperson being absent a deputy chairperson is appointed, to respond the correspondence directed to the Mayor and other councillors as is necessary. It is of note that our Mayor has been substantively absent from many meetings and briefings and has only recently returned for yet another "break". In this time the Deputy Mayor has not been tasked to the roles and duties of the Mayor in her absence. Why not? Has anyone been at the helm over the last seven weeks since the last council meeting? Contrary to what some might think the mayor does not have powers of Veto either. The mayor is a councillor in the case of the Eurobodalla Shire, just one of nine elected, making decisions as one ninth generally. While she has a casting vote there is no power to veto the decision of her fellow councillors.
Yours Sincerely
Allan Brown
