The Beagle Editor,
When you become Mayor you also receive the keys to the Mayoral Car.
This is not just any car that you and I might be able to afford. It is a top of the line car. A prestigious car. A car fit for a mayor. It is about appearance. Apparently can't have the Mayor arrive in a mid range family car. No, it has to be prestigious for a Eurobodalla Mayor.
Councillor Innes, Mayor, moves around the shire, attending meetings, invited to this event or that, she is at all the big announcements as all the photo shoots media coverage will attest.
And she arrives at them in in her prestigious ratepayer and residents provided vehicle. These cars are turned over on low milage to retain good trade value so the Mayoral vehicle is always new.
But why doesn't the Mayoral car have a magnetic banner to say that it is the Mayoral car provided to the mayor by the good citizens of the Eurobodalla. Our local Members of Parliament are proud to display magnetic banners on their own personal cars letting everyone know who they are so that they might be approached by constituents to be told of matters.
Many years ago the idea was put to councillors that the Mayoral car, the cars of the executives, and the rest of the fleet, should have stickers on them letting the community know that the cars actually belong to the community. The justification was that it would allow the community to see what Council staff were doing with the vehicles. For that very reason it was voted against because Council staff often used the cars to ferry children back and forth to school, do shopping and even allow their spouses to drive.
But that isn't the Mayoral car. Councillor Innes could take more advantage of the publicity shoots and better promote the shire, if the provided vehicle was used for advertising purposes as well.
And how about leading by example and having an electric car? At the moment it is a whopping great four wheel drive.
Above: What are your thoughts on the Mayoral Car - should it be a prestigious four wheel drive or a modest electric? And should it bear the title of the Mayor's car? Councillors should resolve that the vehicle provided by the shires ratepayers and residents to Mayors identifies, it’s the shires mayor and promotes the shire with suitable marketing advertising. That would really be wonderful.
Allan Brown
Catalina
