Wednesday 26 August 2009

A free and slippery ride for Freebody

It's hard to think of another former Councillor going to such lengths to promote a business venture, prior to any Council approval.

For the last six months or more, Paul Freebody, ousted by Councillor Kirsten Lesina at last year's election, has been in cahoots with the local paper, getting huge free advertorials for his waterpark venture, complete with colourful plans.

The predictable local rag has published a series of articles to promote his venture, with promises of jobs for hundreds to the millions of investment in the local economy. They even wrote a sob story about him selling his mansion to fund the new business, to gain sympathy.

Now I'm not that against the proposal, as it's going to be constructed on sugar cane land, and a facility like this, would a nice change from another GlenCorp or Hedley high-density apartment complex. However, the way in which this has been promoted ad nausem through the local paper, is disgusting.

Freebody's former Council connection has hardly been raised in the press, another common tactic for this discredited newspaper.

Where he gets his 250,000 admissions to his over-sized swimming pool from, is pie-in-the-sky stuff. It's merely a lure to get Councillors to vote for his proposal.

“We have every government approval, we only now have to go through the Council," Freebody said for the tenth time. It goes before Cairns Regional Council next month.

Why he won't allow such a application to go through the normal process of fair evaluation by Council officers, and Councillor, is very undemocratic.

Paul isn't known for his sense of humour.

After lashing out at his opponents in the run-up to the March 2008 election, he used derogatory and condescending language aimed at Kirsten Lesina, after she criticised his election leaflet, which contained no less than 15 errors. It was an embarrassment, yet running mate Kathy Plath, who was also defeated, had a leaflet produced by Paul as well.

Freebody demanded that the YouTube video of his sexist outburst on TV against Lesina, be removed from CairnsBlog, so I put up the transcript for all to see his behaviour.

"She’s only 21, and she’s young and needs to do a bit of growing up," he said about Kirsten, who bet him at the poll. "You’re better than that love. I know you’re young. I know you’re ambitious. Don’t go down that path."

Freebody infamously penned a threat to then Mayoral candidate Val Schier, following a comment on CairnsBlog.

"This is a low act and you have now put a fire in my belly which I have not had for some time!Bring it on Val because the gloves are off and I will not rest until I have destroyed you and your grubby little mates!" then Councillor Paul Freebody wrote.

Just days before the Council election, Freebody won a defamation case before the Cairns District Court, after he wrote a derogatory letter in the Cairns Post about two horse racing identities.

Oh, he's nothing, if not colourful.

3 comments:

CRC Second Story Man said...

There is more brewing on this story, Mr. Moore. The CMC investigations department has been making inquiries about this project in the last two days, causing several "high level" meetings to occur. Staff haven't yet overheard all the details, but apparently private council information about the project was "shared" with Freebody so that he could make his own efforts to circumvent it. I know Sno Bonneau has also been called about the matter (this development is in Sno's division) and division councillors are allowed to review these projects prior to them going to the full council. Perhaps other CRC contacts know more. . .

Jan from Kewarra said...

As Divisonal Councillor, it would be guaranteed that Sno Bonneau would have been doing his usual pro-development bit and sharing information about this project most inappropriately!!

What a coincidence for him at this time that he is overseas? Or is it?

As we all recall, it seemed to be somewhat of a sudden departure, when a developer (Roy Lavis)had to withdraw their application on just minutes before a Council Meeting because Sno the dependable pro-development Councillor had forgotten to tell anyone that he would not be there. What did he leave in the middle of the night?

Very suspicious if you ask me......

Guido the Plumber said...

We had Headley...thankfully he met his karma, we still got Glencorp with his Kibbutz Units...please spare us Peabody Mitsui...do not stuff up our area with your greed!!