The Beagle Editor, Where is our elected Mayor and where are our elected Councillors?
It was bad enough during the bushfire crisis that the Eurobodalla Shire Mayor and majority of Councillors decided not to meet during January. Now with the arrival of COVID-19 virus our elected representatives have decided to: · only meet monthly instead of fortnightly;
· cease the monthly public access forums where community members can directly engage with Councillors.
While other Councils, like Bega Valley Shire, have made use of virtual meetings through the use of software like ZOOM and Skype to engage with their community, our Mayor and her supporting Councillors are using the virus as an excuse to eliminate all avenues for engagement with the community.
Why cant the public forum be held via Zoom and be live streamed. Bega Council certainly has no difficulty in this simple task? At least 85% of the Eurobodalla community have access to the internet. These sessions should again be live streamed to the public via the Council's website so that the community can be kept abreast of Council deliberation of issues and decisions.
The Mayor seems happy to take the perks that come with her position, the $70,000 salary, the company car, rotated every 40,000 kms with paid services, subsidised fuel and extras, and the status without fulfilling the responsibilities of the job.
If the job is so onerous for our Councillors lets eliminate the Eurobodalla Council and merge with Bega Valley Shire who seem to be able to achieve this and so much more. We would then go from being a won't do or can't do Council to being a can do Council.
Kathryn Maxwell
President
SHASA
Have our Councillors done another Hawaii ?
