The Beagle Editor, There is a view in the Eurobodalla that the Eurobodalla Council is not political. During the 2016 Local Government election campaign specific claims were made that Local Council is not political that ‘we should keep politics out of Local Government’.
Yet a controversial video (Beagle Online July 22) presented to the public by Mayor Innes, endorsing Ann Sudmalis Member for Gilmore for her ‘wonderful support’ and ‘incredible results’ is very political. The Mayor’s video is hyper-partisan - extremely biased in favor of a political party. Moreover, Ann Sudmalis refers to Eurobodalla Council as her ‘team’.
Further to Ann Sudmalis ‘incredible results’ in the Eurobodalla after two terms as the Member for Gilmore - 13% unemployment rate in Batemans Bay; 128 homelessness people in Batemans Bay matching the city of Queanbeyan in the 2016 Census; unaffordable housing; penalty rate cuts; job cuts at Batemans Bay Centrelink; tax cuts for the banks and corporations found by the Banking Royal Commission to have acted corruptly, lied to and stolen from their customers. The Mayor’s accolades for the sitting member are dubious and questionable.
Has the Mayor forgotten the Oath she took to ‘swear that I will undertake the duties of the office of Councillor in the best interests of the people of the Eurobodalla and the Eurobodalla Council that I will faithfully and impartially carry out the functions, powers, authorities and discretions vested in me under the Local Government Act 1993?
Does the Mayor really believe that her hyper-partisan endorsement of the sitting Liberal MP is in the best interest of the people of Eurobodalla and the Eurobodalla Council and a faithful, impartial enactment of the functions, powers, authorities and discretions vested in her?
Maureen Searson
President Eurobodalla Labor Party Local Government Committee (LGC)
