Dear Beagle Editor,
I sincerely hope that you can publish my letter of apology, instigated by my disgust of an incident at today’s council meeting.
“SORRY,” COUNCILLOR MAYNE
Unfortunately, I was unable to watch most of the live webcast of today’s Council Meeting(26 May) due to my preparations for the bushfire clean up crew arrival tomorrow.
When I did finally manage to connect, I was appalled by what I witnessed. I don’t know what the agenda item was, but Councillor Mayne was speaking until he was interrupted mid sentence by a ‘point of order’ called by Councillor Brown and sanctioned by the Chair, Liz Innes.
I would like to publicly apologise to Councillor Anthony Mayne for the disgraceful way he was treated by Councillor Brown and the Chair, Mayor Liz Innes.
One would think that a councillor could speak freely of his/her concerns, or residents’ concerns, without colleagues hurling vindictive accusations at the speaker before he has finished. It would have been respectful for Clr Brown and the Chair to actually allow Councillor Mayne to finish his sentence/explanation so as to understand the meaning of the word ‘stacked’ in the context of which it was intended.
Clr Brown and Mayor Innes, however, made their own interpretation of half a sentence, thereby jumping to an erroneous conclusion and condemning Clr Mayne for something he did not say or mean.
Such appalling behaviour by Mayor Liz Innes and Councillor Lindsay Brown is an embarrassment, hence my apology, as a ratepayer, to Councillor Mayne whom I respect as my council representative.
(I assume I am permitted to apologise on behalf of another as Mayor Innes was permitted to do, when she apologised to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for the actions of Cobargo residents when they refused to shake hands with him after the bushfires).
Patricia Gardiner
Deua River Valley
"Councillor Mayne showed composure today while the Mayor and her fellow councillors brought the Council and its chamber into ill repute by their schoolyard antics" said everyone who was watching the live streaming
