Councillor Rob Pyne is fast becoming the latest movie star in Cairns.
Pyne was the first to use this medium whilst campaigning for Council election a year ago. In fact, he launched it here on CairnsBlog first (copied by the Cairns Post two days later!)
"This will be the first of a number of regular reports I'll make to residents," Robert says. "I'll address issues that are relevant only to particular suburbs and also to foster a greater sense of community."
The Division 3 Councillor also produces a regualr Rock News that is emailed to thousands of local residents in Mt Sheridan and southern suburbs. He campaigned on be a good communicator,a nd is keeping up to that promise.
“Some issues are not likely to be picked up by the mainstream media, but they are very important to people that live in the area,” he says. "A couple of the issues in my first report concern the smell from the Southern Waste Water Treatment plant and the efforts of Southside residents in relation to the dengue outbreak.”
Pyne said the exercise is about fostering a sense of community. “Community building has to include identifying with an area and sharing information with people who associate with that area. I do this with my Division 3 website.”
He points out that this is a good way to stay in touch with residents. "One of the best things is, as I am doing it myself, it does not cost ratepayers a cent.”
Why doesn't every Councillor do this?
1 comment:
Councillor Pyne asks a valid Q, "Why doesn't every Councillor do this?"
A: Not every councillor is a good communicator and interested in what resident's think or believes in or even cares enough about their constituents, to bother.
Take Councillor Bonneau for starters.
His MO when he was in his old Division, was the treat everyone like mushrooms and keep them in the dark. It suited his purposes to do so! Just as it suited his purpose not to attend any community meetings that was asked of him, as it suited his purposes to openly declare, that he could decide who he communicated with (despite this being against Concillor Code of Conduct,) as it suited his purposes to play one resident off against another, by telling one resident one lie, and another resident, something completely different.
A formal letter of complaint was filed by the Clifton Beach Community Association with the then Cairns City Council against Councillor Bonneau citing at least 7 breaches of the Code of Conduct.
To our first complaint, which was "Perceived failure to communicate and connect with the community,", we received the following response from CCC
"Councillor Bonneau has the right to decide which external meetings he does or does not attend and the right to form personal views about external organisations."
He did exactly this over the rock wall issue, by using the tactic, of conquering and dividing. In this instance, he decided to meet with a select group of people such as beach front owners only over the options for preventing beach erosion on Clifton Beach. The decision to opt for the rock wall, was made entirely by a small group of beachfront owners (less than 20 people) with a large and vested interest in protecting their propterties, and the rest of the community, was kept completely ignorant of what was going on and had no say what-so-ever, in the decision to go with a rock wall, which as it turns out, is the most non envirnonmentally friendly option there is and now a great "eyesore" on our coastline! but is was the cheapest, depsite it 3.5 million dollar price tag which all Cairns residents and taxpayers of Queensland paid for!!
Councillor Bonneau continues to display his lack of "sense of community" and poor judement in his actions over the issue of a proposal for the Marlin Coast Community Centre by not attending meetings with people who were interested enough and wanted to have a say about what goes on in their community.
As they say in the classics, "Leopards do not change their spots", and the residents of the beaches area and now Smithfield continue to suffer from very poor representation!
So Councillor Pyne, your residents are most fortunate to have you as their representative and I hope they appreciate your efforts (both paid and unpaid!!) Similarly, those of us in Division 10 now are likewise, fortunate in having a committed and communicative Councillor now batting for us.
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