Do we get what we deserve?

I noted the article supplied by Peter B Harmond 23.2.12 regarding the continual failure by the Tenterfield Shire Council, that being particularly labelled at our Councillors. I am a rate paying resident for some 9 years and now live in Division 2. In all this time I have personally noted very little change. What change and improvements that have occurred have only been done as a result of State or Federal funds that are applied for by our council administration staff. Let’s look at the last nine years, every time we pick up a paper we see division and infighting within our councillors. Yes we live in a democratic society, however a lot of the attacks and verballing are quite personal against each other and definitely not in the interest of the rate payers and prospective new residents who wish to come here. This is more so with regards the last three plus years of our current term of councillors. One of our past councillors who resigned during the current term was noted as remarking “we have the council we deserve”. We must wonder what he meant by that?
This whole current term seems to be have been a personal vendetta. These are very good men, but very set in their ways and principles and there is nothing wrong with that, but all we hear is complaint after complaint. Their telephone lines must have speed dial to the ICAC, Government or EPA. And when that doesn’t work they call for Administrators. Ask yourself have you ever picked up a newspaper and read what they would do to lead and change council. The answer would probably be no.
Yes the councillors set a platform and agenda through a strategic plan for what they believe are the shires needs, but do they follow it? We have lost three general managers with a great deal of time in Councils and a wealth of experience. Is that because they were incompetent? Or were they just not strong enough to advise councillors of their position and just moved on to greener pastures. Yes, their position – councillors do not have the right to overstep their positions and interfere with the day to day operations of the Shire administrative staff but they do, and always have done so, with an obvious complete contempt of their role. So do we have the councillors we deserve or should we move them on and look to the future with a cultural change to fiscal management, honesty, integrity and compliance to the structures of council operation and the improvement of the life style of the Tenterfield shire for all?
Let’s move on and stop the cancer that eats away and change the culture of “that’s the way it’s always been”. Look around us – the world is moving forward and we are still locked into the past. All shires around us and throughout NSW advertise, implement new ideas and work with the local community for all. Yes, the council says we are growing but when people do move here it’s then they realise Tenterfield is not moving at all, let alone forward. Let’s open up to the world and reveal ourselves as a place to be and be proud of it. In my work it has taken me too many country towns both intrastate and interstate and you would be surprised just how many people have never heard of Tenterfield nor would they know where it is actually situated.
I suggest our councillors get out and meet the people in their divisons, not just sit back and wait for the council meeting to come around or have their faction groups co-ordinate re-election. I have been in Division 2 for some 18 months and have never been approached by my division representive to talk or ask me for suggestions into how the division and Shire as a whole could be better. It’s not too hard to communicate with administrative staff to establish movements of residents or new residents that have entered the shire. A meet and greet would be very effective and show that the councillors really care about us and not just themselves. Come on, surely divisional councillors could be more pro active for the position they hold, not just be continually reactive. Yes, I think we have a few and I say only a few good councillors. Let’s support them and move the others on.
Please wake up Tenterfield, we need better representation and respect, afterall we are paying for it.
Trevor Hardie QPM