Friday 5 October 2007

KB's back, and he's not happy

Here's some bedtime reading for ya all.

In reference to a post called Mmmmmm - Big Kev dines big time, the team at CairnsBlog today joined the club... the "I got a legal threat from our Mayor" club.

Andrew at Future of Cairns knows all about this.

Amazing. The lovely Mayor rings 3 different people in my workplace, threatens to withdraw Council funding (which doesn't exist) if CairnsBlog isn't closed down, yet when someone tells you what kind of seafood he ate while on a Council Ratepayer-funded trip halfway across the world, one gets a 3-page legal letter.

I mean Kev, com 'on! The Peking Duck is great, so long as it's dressed in a nice white wine sauce. Actually, some readers pointed out, the menu at M on the Bund isn't that expensive. Maybe the staff at CairnsBlog are just a might jealous? I was in Beijing and Shanghai a few years ago, but didn't get to Bund. The Good Doctor highly recommended it actually.

Anyway, ask yourself Cairns folk. Is this the kind of Council you want running our town? One in which you're not allowed to debate and ask questions of our elected officials when they spend our rates?

I mean, put your hand up if your rates went up over the last 12 months? Mine did. However, not as much as a mate on the Esplanade in town. He lives on the corner, along from Caravella's Backpackers, in a small 30-year-old apartment, and his rates went from $2,000 to $4,320. And did he get 200% more services from Council? Unlimited library books with no overdue fees? A special permit to park free anywhere for a whole year? Hot dates with Cr Gill?

However, in fairness, his Council rubbish bins are made of gold and has scanty-clad council workers collect them on Tuesday mornings. They also pop up to his apartment and clean out his fridge once a month. Well, you know how they can get when you don't finish those greens.

Surely when there's a Council election coming up in 160 days, you'd have to presume people will start asking questions, looking into where and how our money is spent, and most importantly of all, that there is a return to us as a community and a city on any expenditure.

So there ya go. I welcome your take of these events. I know there's a team of folk who are the owner of a similar letter. Maybe we should all get together at the Cock n Bull over a beer soon and swap stories?

As Val Schier said a couple of days ago... prove us wrong Kevin, show us that this fixation with all things China is well worth all the tea in China.

























34 comments:

David Farrar said...

Well done - your first defamation threat. :-)

Anonymous said...

What goes with this pathetic,
arrogant fellow,surely he is not a suitable person to head the Cairns Regional Council.He is just to full of himself and deserves to lose his position on council.He is showing his true colours in the way he is attacking this blog.Come on the next council election

Anonymous said...

From what I hear, these legal threats are common occurances from KB, to whomever has upset his little applecart.
With all the other words written about him on this blog, why has he chosen to throw a hissy fit about his China trip?
Perhaps its just a fraction too close to the bone KB ???

Anonymous said...

Mandymoo.. there's a fraction to much friction.. me thinks! (a nudda Kiwi)

Anonymous said...

I hope you get sued for all you've got.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Kev tried to bully several news organisations a few years ago when they exposed the apparent frauds that were being conducted by his wife managing a property at Palm Cove. They told him to go fish. And with the recent changes to defamation laws in Australia it is bascially impossible for a public figure like a mayor to sue anyone for their public actions. So this empty threat shows again what a shallow and worthless sack of shit our mayor really is.

Anonymous said...

Think yourself damned lucky that he let you off on your despicable alegation that he had the Hot house-smoked salmon on a sauté of new potatoes, celery hearts and black olives served with a classic vermouth sauce for his main you ratbag!

A mate told me that Kev is very frugal when it comes to splashing out at restuarants and in fact some establishments around town even generously donate some extra nourishment and refreshment and he doesnt even demand aything in return like closing parts of streets and stuff.

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work, Michael!

And let us know where we can donate to the "Free the Cairns Blog" fund.

Anonymous said...

I certainly wouldn't be recommending those solicitors to anyone in the near future.

Anonymous said...

Just remember that Third Degree Byrne's got some big money mates in this town and as an ex 'grunt' he is well known for his bullying tactics. The sooner this town is rid of him the better.

Anonymous said...

Well done Michael Moore, Boofhead has had a dream run in this town for far too long. At last we have Cairns blog - and does it get up his nose! The level of disdain in Cairns for this bullyboy is now at unprecedented levels, he should now be working on his resume ... perhaps the Russians will have him back!

Anonymous said...

If comments about the Mayor such as yours are actionable, well, John Howard (for one)could become wealthier than Bill Gates.
To Kev Byrnes (yes, we know you read this daily), if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! Please!

Anonymous said...

Well, if Big Kev reads this every day, he must be more than aware that he is past his use by date. Read it and leave Big Kev.

No he doesnt have any regard for ratepayers, otherwise he wouldnt spend council money persuing Mr Moore. Prove otherwiswe Big Kev.

No the ratepayers of cairns are fed up with his style of governing, Im sure if we asked for a show of hands for a vote of no confidence, he would be gone. Im sure the majority of his fellow councillors would be glad to have his bullyboy style OUT.

As for being dishonest, I can name several people as witness to him trying to leave restaurants and bars around town without paying. Thats dishonest in my book.

Abused his position of Mayor to keep quiet all the scandals regarding his wifes business dealings.

May or not be a director of a company in Shanghai, but that snippet came out from one of his closest friends, and is a well known rumour? around town. Be careful who you talk to Big Kev.

Prove to us Kev that you didnt pay for the dinner at M on the Bund with ratepayers money. Sure you may have put it on your credit card, but will it be reimbursed from Council for travel expenses ???

Prove to us Big Kev that your travel is not supplemented from Advance Cairns. Anyone in hospitality knows that it probably is !!!

So big Kev, how much money are you looking at screwing Mr Moore for ???

Anonymous said...

These comments hurt a bit did they KB? Maybe because you know they are too close to the truth. You know it, and now a lot more of the Cairns voting public know it. Long live dictatorships eh? Hope you put in a few job applications whilst in China.

Anonymous said...

Frankly, i'm stunned by the slanderous claim in these comments that Our Mayor attempted to scoot out of restuarats without paying the bill. Quite the contrary, I have been told by an authoritative source down in the bar at Dunwoody's the other day that in fact the reverse is true and that it was the restuaranteurs who begged KB to leave without paying! I can also authoritatively comfirm from the same reliable source (well as reliable as you can be after that many drinks) that the said restuaranteurs did not, repeat not, ask for any favours in return, no streets closed to expand their establishments, no liquor licence support in childrens playgrounds in return for campaign funding, no nothing at all like that crap ..... they just wanted to get rid of the boring bastard!

Anonymous said...

It would be great if our unpopular
Mayor was required to itemise all his overseas expenditure in detail,
from I would presume,his business or first class airfares,(NO ECONOMY
CLASS FOR KEVIN)down to the tips he gave the porter,it would make interesting reading.In fact Council
should request this information,
before approving payment of same.

Anonymous said...

"Show and Tell" at the Cock & Bull
excellent idea but will there be enough room?

Anonymous said...

Michael,
I must say I am appalled that our Mayor has gone to these lengths (threatening legal action and harassing your place of work) but am not really surprised by his behaviour as it is not the first time that he has come out punching any poor resident who dares to voice an opinion. About two years ago, I too was harassed at work on two separate occasions in the one day by two different council employees courtesy Councillor Bonneau who did not like something I was organizing in our community.

Of course it is totally unacceptable that we continue to have a Mayor who resorts to this type of bad behaviour (bullying, intimidation and harassing people at their place of work).

Strangely enough, there is legislation under which you can complain and I would like to suggest to you that you seriously consider submitting a 'Breach of Misconduct' charge through the State Government’s Crime and Misconduct Commission.

Anonymous said...

I have one thing I want you to consider in the case of KB v. Moore, Ladies and gentlemen, Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense! Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with the KB/Moore defamation case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with KB’s legal action against Moore and his blog! It does not make sense! I'm defending a minor blog, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when the KB/Moore case is in that jury room with the jury deliberatin' and conjugatin' the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit Moore! The defense rests.
(Fanks 2 southpark).

Unknown said...

Mike,

This is typical of the mayor’s ‘kiss up, kick down’ approach to people. If you are a company Director from the ‘big end of town’ you are feted. However, if you are mere ordinary folk like us, attempts are made to silence you.

A diversity of opinion and dissenting voices are essential if our democracy is to function properly. I urge you and your contributors to continue to offer their opinions on matters of civic concerns.

Warm Regards,

Rob Pyne.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Michael, our illustrious Mayor has noticed you, and given you the Order of the Hollow Threat for speaking openly about his administrative style. You ought take it as a compliment.

It's been years now since I was similarly threatened, and I'm still waiting for it to amount to anything. I guess Kev's as much a coward as a bully.

I do think it's important to put Kev out to pasture at the first available opportunity - and I think his lawyers have spelt out pretty clearly his major failings ie he is a dishonest abuser of ratepayers funds to serve his own petty interests and that ratepayers ought have no confidence in him.

Hmmm, I think I'll put that in a flyer for public distribution next February and March.

Anonymous said...

Bryan Law won't be putting out any election flyers in February or March. Bryan Law will be going away soon, I believe he's got a booking at the Greybar Hotel. hahahahahaha

Anonymous said...

Why has Kevin reacted so badly to this? I can't help but wonder, his over-the-top reaction is proof of the pudding that his trip to China was either a self indulgent junket or something worse.

What exactly is he up to? Are we going to see a rash of nouveau riche Chinese investors hit Cairns, buying up properties, big time?

Anonymous said...

Just the thought of a huge contingent of Chinese "investors" flying into Cairns to buy up big on the properties market makes me sick.

Yeah, sales prices rise, valuations rise, rates rise.

What bloody hope have our kids got of EVER owning their own homes?

Anonymous said...

Well Mike .. you have finally done it. I thought you would either end up with "THE" letter ... or concrete booties and dumped into the inlet. Thankfully, it was only the letter. I would like to know what the council is doing with the money.. We have just experienced a huge rate rise here in Edmonton. Our rates went up $3000 a year to $16000. I manage a comercial property here in Edmonton. Being a commercial property, we dont get rubbish disposal, (we have to pay extra to have our rubbish removed, and added to this, the coucil has also introduced an Enviroment Compliance Fee to be charged to us thru Cleanaway), we dont get a water allocation either. we have to pay everytime someone turns on a tap. It would be interesting to know what the owners of the property are getting for their $16000 a year.
Anyway .. back to the blog, you have my support in your fight against KB. You also have the support of the owners of the property, and the book keeper as well. Doesnt amount to much, but, there is 4 more people who are tired of the way Cairns is going and what it costs to get there.

Anonymous said...

It seems Bully Boy Tactics still reign supreme at Council. Can KB quantify the damages? Don't apologise for questioning the politicical process - I think there's a statutory defence for that. Tell them "Good Oh, Get an Order". Imagine the ratepayer backlash if Council tried to proceed with court action!!

Anonymous said...

Its not only Byrne who has to be given the flick,we also have to get rid of the rest of the Unity Team menbers ,plus the couple of
independants who are also de-facto
menbers of the Unity Team.
Roll on the election.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Minister for Local Government should be examining Mr Byrne's actions and activities a little more closely???

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the club, MM! Back in the late '90s, I received a similar missive from solicitors representing our arrogant bully boy of a mayor while editing the now sadly defunct weekly journal 'Barfly'.
Prior to the threatened writ, the mayor had vented his spleen on many occasions over 'Council Watch', a comparatively mild column that provided weekly commentary on Council meetings. If the major (oops,
mayor) had his way we would be living in a totalitarian state. More accountability and transparent local government is urgently needed in Far North Queensland. The major 's re-election campaign will no doubt be bankrolled once more by the fat end of town. Supporters of Val Schier and other alternative mayoral candidates will need to marshall all the foot soldiers they can muster to carry the day on March 15, 2008.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Dear CMC supporter,

Not long ago the Local Government Minister was our very own Desley Boyle. Concerns were raised at that time concerning several councils with CMC i think but nothing happened with Cairns and all the political pressure went to the Gold Coast.

Desley is an ex deputy mayor of Cairns who apparently I understand once had a reputation of chaining herself to things but transformed after political appointment to the CPA board.

Unlike some of the labor acolytes here those of us who have had the misfortune to try to explain any issue of any complexity have come to understand the basic truth that Desley is D*** AS *******.

The obvious problems with our council and its personalities may be more extensive than you think?

Anonymous said...

It appears the rumor that K.Byrne has already a directorship and or interest in a Chinese company or Companies is gaining momentum.
As I understand it,all Councillors are required to lodge details of all assets and other interests held by themselves and family.
If this is correct, Kevin Byrne should ne asked to submit a full list of assets for public viewing,in order to find out the truth regarding this issue.

Anonymous said...

What a disgusting and corrupt thing to do - ring your employer and threaten your staff. He did the same to me once when I'd cornered him - thankfully there were was absolutely no consequences for me - it's not too hard to be cleverer than KB. Bullies are not all that bright obviously. CMC can't do anything, but let's just make sure the ratepayers know about his corrupt practices and silencing of dissent. A bigger man would just roll with it.

:Kevin-John: Morgan. said...

Great stuff Mike. When you finish with these two scumbags of society, I still have a bone to chew with KB, Blakey and their other crony mate, John O'Brien.
These three should have been tarred & feathered, and paraded through the streets of Cairns on the back of a crocodile!
I have also just looked at your published paperwork and whoever wrote it can be charged with Mail Fraud!
There are NO Nouns anywhere, which means this person cannot read, cannot write, and therefore cheated on their exams.
The same applies to that KB paperwork. What is it with these people? Don't they realise their days are numbered?
I can say one thing to KB, Blakey and any of their cronies.
Better get a lawyer son, better get a reeeaaalll good one!