Saturday 15 August 2009

Bonneau on a Sno go

Cairns Regional Councillor Sno Bonneau has taken leave for a month and hardly any Councillor knew about it.

He was absent from this week's Planning and Environment Committee meeting that was to consider the Roy Lavis sub-division application. It was withdrawn at the last minute, that some some suggested because Councillor Bonneau's vote would have been crucial.

The Council appears to have no system in place to inform others when a Councillor is not in town. You'd think there would be a process, after all, these folk are on a salary and effectively employed to do a job.

I've only met Sno on a few occasions, the most memorable being in February last year when the ballots were being drawn for the Council election.

While he's aware what will his constituents do? Who will they call? Will they notice? Who will the developers have vino with?

Sno is reportedly enjoying the delights of pasta and good wine in Italy.

9 comments:

Clifton Ratbags said...

"Employed to do a job"? You must be kidding. This guy hasn't worked at a job for years. Which is mostly a relief, because he's the only Aussie to ever have a newsagency go bankrupt.

There are numerous problems in Clifton Beach on Sno's own block (Saxon Street) and he drives past them like he's blind. Apparently Lavis won't be resubmitting his application until he can count on Sno's attendance.

nocturnal congress said...

Sno doesn't have to do anything. Yep, he can holiday overseas whenever he wants. That's the nice little benefit of having the media only attacking the Mayor. Thus, invisible to the media, his constituents probably think he is doing a great job.
All too easy - do little, don't draw any attention to yourself, keep a very low profile and no-one will know if you're in the country or not.

Funnyside said...

I couldn’t resist a chuckle. Blakey and Bonneau. Council’s “B” team. Both movers and shakers it seems – one an alleged lady’s man and the other a confirmed number’s man.

Guido the Plumber said...

Mike, having introduced the subject, I think there is more than meets the eye in this Bonneau's excapade.

As we know Bonneau is the developers representative on Council.

I understand that developer's reciprocal benefits may include undisclosed fringe benefits like overseas tips.

The Queensland Government systemic dalliance with corruption and cronyism does not stop there. The culture permeates to the Public Bureaucracy and the Local Government level.

The likes of Bonneau are not immune to such temptations!! The tip of the iceberg is just but the beginning.

Ratbags Rule! said...

Sno has been on "developer junkets" before. Fact. He's made several trips to India on underwritten by a local developer. We have no Indian developers, you say? Sure we do. Thakral, developers of Trilogy and Argentea. It was during the Argentea destruction of the local beach at Clifton when Bonneau was Clifton's councillor. So what developer has owners/interests in Italy?

Northern Beaches Warrior said...

The key point in this story is how much the developers are lobbying councillors to get their project thru.

The fact that a very pro-development Councillor was away that day when a very controversial developement approval was being considered, but withdrawn at the very last minute because of Sno's absence,tells us all, just who is running this town and more importantly, our Council.

Controversial developments such as the Capital Globe 17 story high rise are being approved because of inappropriate connections between developers, Council planners and Councillors!

nocturnal congress said...

So, we have to wait and see if the Capital Globe development is put forward for approval when Sno comes back?

Northern Beaches Warrior said...

Nocturnal Congress,

Not Capital Globe this time around, but it was Roy Lavis' controversial Mansfield street DA that was pulled last week before the Council meeting.

Watch this space.....

Anonymous said...

Notice we haven't heard any leaks from council lately. Would that be because Sno and Blake are both on leave - and possibly Ms Hull is skiing in the Land of the Long White Cloud as well.