IN December 2009, a customer of mine cast aspersions on my mental state as I was watching the battle live on television between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party.
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“Isn’t it great we can watch the democratic process at work without machine guns being pointed at us forcing us to support one side or the other?” I replied.
Hence I welcome contributions from readers like the Forest Grove correspondent [Letters, July 22], who indicated that after many years of reading my column, he had had the “proverbial gutful” of my views.
I suggest you exercise your democratic right to stop reading my weekly musings, but keep buying this paper, to put yourself out of your self-imposed misery. I look forward to you starting a new column espousing all things nice about Bathurst Regional Council.
Thanks to the many more readers for their positive encouragement to keep up my interest in good governance.
Location deliberation
IN coming weeks, Bathurst Regional Council will finalise the next stage of the tender process to select the designer for the proposed second circuit.
Having just re-read the first development application approved for the go-kart track, it is apparent that the proposed McPhillamy Park location, which has numerous use restrictions, almost choking its future success, is clearly uneconomic.
For mine, the proposed go-kart track should be incorporated within the new second circuit precinct alongside the proposed four-wheel drive training course.
This would potentially allow it to be used daily, maximising the facility’s economic benefit and leaving the public reserve of McPhillamy Park to “secret women’s business” for the Wiradyuri people and campers (not forgetting the odd lover).
I’m sorry to reinforce the advice of the Second Circuit Action Group (in which I participate), but council has one chance to get the design right for this legacy infrastructure.
It’s a bridge too far
IT’S election time, so is that the reason Cr Bobby Bourke is calling for improvements to the Gordon Edgell Bridge to minimise morning and afternoon traffic peaks?
Sorry, Bobby, it is simply uneconomic to spend millions to improve a two-lane bridge for two hours per day when we motorists have a four-lane state-funded highway as an alternative.
And why else would Cr Monica Morse be suggesting an alternative collection and set down location behind McDonald’s for Australia Wide Coaches, when, like the current location on the street near the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre, it fails to meet any transport regulations?
It’s going to be a long seven weeks to election day.
Below the voting radar
THE idea that you won’t be elected to council unless you are on an “above the line” ticket to me is BS!
Getting elected in local government is all about voter recognition, regardless of the substance of the candidate.
If voters are familiar with your face, you have a big chance, regardless of your ballot position.
I’ll have a schooner bet that anyone below position two on any ticket this election will not be elected to council. Because there are no super popular leaders of tickets this time around, the number one on the ticket will be elected, but positions two through to five have no chance, so why bother?
Thumbs up
CONTRIBUTIONS from the readership, what a great democracy we live in where we all can have an opinion without retribution.
Thumbs down
TALK only candidates on “above the line tickets” will be elected to council. Good candidates invariably rise to the top regardless of position.