Wednesday 18 November 2009

Will the real Danny Betros please stand up

I think the Cairns Post is a bit confused who is Richard Ireland and who is Danny Betros.

One is the stand up comic who missed his calling for Broadway, is a bit taller than two cigarette packets, loves writing non-evidenced based judgmental opinion pieces in weekend papers, and after Paul Freebody, is the only person to get John Mackenzie all moist in an introduction. The other one sells cars.

UPDATE
The Post have changed the pic, and found a chesty photo of Danny, looking like a pimp or a crack dealer.

14 comments:

Danny Betros said...

Mike
Why are people so unkind???

Real Estate pays better than Broadway so the choice was easy and if I'm 2 packets tall then you must be one and a half.

For the record I spent 2 weeks gaining the views of a wide variety of people from both the business community and the general public before speaking on the CBD the other night. That's called research.
I also researched the Development Industry on the issues of The Cairns Plan and the appalling level of service provided by the Town Planning Dept in Council. The results are not good but I will save those comments for another day.
As for my article back in Sept (First one in Soapbox), I was expressing the opinions of the Business community from which I speak to daily.In fact that was the culmination of about 12 months of frustrations that are being vented daily towards our dysfunctional Council and lame State and Federal Members.
I was well researched believe me and the fact that I received over 100 expressions of support and congratulations from so many different parts of the Community is proof that I struck a nerve.
I hope that the appointment of Lyn Russell will get the Council back on track as at the moment the Mayor has no positive relationship with the Business Community ( You know the ones that actually employ people in this Town),the media or the State and Federal members who continue to use Cairns as a doormat to the Policies of the their party leaders down South.
Who is screaming out for Cairns??

Oliver Redlynch said...

I'd like to point out to Danny the obvious, that as the head of the council the mayor DOES employ rather a lot of people in the town at the moment. And a relationship takes TWO sides, so perhaps the business community should actually try engaging with the council rather than simply slagging them off every time they make a decision for the interests of the greater community that elected them (and who don't want Cairns to turn into the Gold Coast) and not an individual businesses pocket! Damned if you do, and damned if you don't, I wouldn't have her job the flack she's been taking. (And for the record - I'm a businessman owning several companies suffering under the GFC and the only people I'm whinging at are Telstra)

Unknown said...

Ya gotta laugh at some of these comedians.

Research? That ain’t research, Danny. That’s talking bullshit over a few beers with your mates.

Pretty much the same as your proposals at Night of the Zombies. A bit like Baldrick's “I have a cunning plan”.

Danny, the reasons for the global economic crapout were greed and dishonesty.

Strangely enough, Danny, that debacle has its roots in the real estate sector and faked up mortgages that were collateralised and sent spinning round the world as billions of US dollars worth of cheap credit.

Add in shonky balance sheets, pathetic regulators who still haven’t taken one single step to prevent a repeat, and a gullible public, and hey presto!

Cairns floats on an ocean of real estate speculation and high-risk credit. When the speculators and spivs get caught out, when there is no money to support their pyramid schemes, what do you expect is going to happen?

Instead of moaning about how hard life is for you, Danny, why not take some responsibility.

Instead of blaming everybody else, including council staff, politicians, little green men and Uncle Tom Cobbley and All, why not accept that you and your supporting acts at Night of the Zombies are the major part of the problem.

Instead of begging for more handouts, why don’t you and your rich welfare bludging cronies Fix It, Dear Danny, Fix It Yourselves.

Unknown said...

Danny,

You made some valid points about the state of the CBD on 4CA the other day, but that decline has been happening under the previous council as well.

The City Place was Kevin Byrne's brainchild, so why do you keep blaming Val Schier and the current council for everything. I'd like to hear you have a go at the previous Mayor. Will you ?

When Kevin Byrne announces an absolutely hideous high rise, it is front page news and applause from the business sector. Whatever Val Schier proposes gets ridiculed, with the likes of Gavin King , John McKenzie and of course the Cairns Post leading the pack. I am no particular fan of the current Mayor or council, but what happened to a fair go ?

Everybody is screaming for "strong leadership" , but it is still a while till the next election, so what benefit is there in trying to destroy our current leadership?


I am all for artwork in the city and more gardens. I think you are dead right about it, but judging by the regulars on the McKenzie show, "the locals" are not.

They don't want a cultural centre, bikeways or gardens. They want wide roads, easy parking and low rates

Danny Betros said...

Grateful Mac
I totally agree with you that the previous Council stuffed City Place and sold sites off for carparking that should have never been sold.
Kevin Byrne made some terrible decisions as did Tom Pyne but we need to think fresh. The current Town Plan is a shocker and is responsible for the developments at Clifton Beach as an example. Val can't really do much to change Cairns unless she writes a new Town Plan which will take 2-3 yrs.Most people don't understand this.
The CBD must become "Must See" and we need to introduce a new unique set of features to achieve it over the next 5 yrs.
Bring in gardens,visual arts,colour,water features,cleaner streets and themed lighting.
I would welcome any ideas from anyone.I'm not pointing the finger at anyone in particular for the state of the CBD but we now need a new approach.

Unda,you goose.What absolute crap you write. What are you on man? I would be pissed for a month if I had a beer with everyone I spoke to. Get a grip of the real world and contribute something constructive to the discussion or piss off.

KitchenSlut said...

Danny Betros is mostly on the right path with his thoughts on the CBD. Certainly more useful than Blakey's contribution at the forum which was to inform us how many different types of pavers there were in the city.

But Danny did go astray when he started on about water features and city place. Agggh, no Danny, no! A D9 dozer down Lake St taking out the place and toadstool as suggested by Richard Ireland! Shields St should be the focus for any public space with its shady trees, and well executed could create an attractive ambience. Shields St has feature potential.

Kitchenslut would even volunteer to drive the dozer but is cognisant of Stuart Traill's comments on safety and doesn't want to inflict a years worth of construction fatalities in one hit, especially himself!

Also Danny, go easy on the fairy lights mate!

And yes, Danny did rightly slam the previous Byrne council for flogging off city car parks, and also the new State office building with inadequate parking. If I am not mistaken one of those car park sites was subsequently approved by the same council for an oversized development against advice although this has never gone ahead?

Danny was also correct to slam the blandness of most newer buildings, Cairnsplan and planning criteria.

Comment on the previous 'Sloppy Supper' post slammed Danny for his real estate role representing owners responsible for the shabby buildings. He did address this at the forum and the difficulty of getting many landlords to invest in the their property. This isn't restricted to commercial as many resdidential tenants would know.

This also relates to comments at 'Sloppy Supper' on high rents. With commercial property valuations related to capitalisation rates (yield)falling rents would I suspect pressure bank valuations and mortgages restricting capability for capital improvements to properties creating a potential new problem? This is intended as an observation and not a defence of current valuations or rental levels.

Along with planning issues a fave rant of Kitchensluts which impacts CBD building quality is also inequitable anomolies from the valuation, strata title, planning,and rating systems which distort the comparative costs and economics of residiential and commercial property markets. KS did have some contact with Mayor Val on this in relation to objectioning to approval of the overheight Capital Globe building although needs further research to follow through with it.

This research will entail obsessive googling, pinot noir, drink coasters, assorted pens, pencils, crayons etc, stained buchers paper tablecloths, valuation data and strata title plans. This research will be 'beer free'.

Disclaimer: Kitchenslut does not know and has never met or shared a beer with Danny Betros.

Unknown said...

Danny Betros said...

"The CBD must become "Must See" and we need to introduce a new unique set of features to achieve it over the next 5 yrs. Bring in gardens,visual arts,colour,water features,cleaner streets and themed lighting."

Yes,yes,yes !!!

And add some pleasant small bars and live music venues, provide adequate security and make it pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

Another Disclaimer: The Grateful Mac also does not know and has never met or shared a beer with Danny Betros, but I will gladly have one with him if the occasion arises.

Thornton On Spence said...

Now I have met Danny Betros and like his no nonsense approach. He tells it as it is and has been known to let certain high profile former Mayors they are wrong. Unfortunately the business that Danny is in attracts a lot of people with no ethics or credibility....that is the nature of Commercial Real Estate. He made some interesting comments about Cr Alan Blake at the Last Supper which is another reason to like him. I will have a Beer with him.

nocturnal congress said...

You're right on one point anyway Thornton. There's plenty of Mexican carpetbaggers and spivs in Cairns. They come into Cairns like a colony of flying foxes descending into the ripened mango trees, to fight, shriek, gorge, mangle and piss over everything. And when the mangoes are all half eaten or stung, they fly off for pickings elsewhere.

Thaddeus said...

There was a comprehensive list in "The Cairns post" today of the projects and Government funding coming into the area, and Danny Betros is still whinging.

Rob Williams said...

I’ve been saying the CBD needed a face lift ever since the Council bulldozed the grass mound out of City Place and tore down the best little amphitheatre on the planet. It fitted in with demolishing anything else that was a “must see”. OK, I told Val we had an opportunity to steal the Palmer Street Jazz Festival from Townsville when it fell foul of the V8 SuperCars. Cairns would have to re-make Shields Street into a New Orleans look alike to do it. The Cairns Tropic Jazz Club Inc. has offered and is ready to help do this but in 9 years we have heard zilch from anyone. After Kevin Byrne turned down a $50,000 grant offer from the State Government we decided to run our own Jazz Festivals without input from Council. At the last one we raised $45,000 in sponsorship. It’s a bloody lot of work, but I would lead that charge again if council and the planners showed they were keen to do what’s needed too.

Factman said...

Don't worry old horn blower, Madam Bligh and her transport department are going to introduce a bus path right through the guts of City Place.

And the Council will still get the blame.

And while you all are having a go at the previous Council think about this.

That $2 million dollar hideous mushroom idea thing was sold to Deputy Mayor Margaret Gill as something that Cairns needed.

And who sold it to her ...?

None other than that architect Mark Buttrose.

And is that name familiar ?

Well yes it is ... he was the failed Cairns 1st candidate for Division 6.

So a bit of balance please.

Al said...

Yeah, some of what Danny suggests I'll go along with, but on the water feature/s; well we're be putting the biggest one just up the road in the middle of the Barron River flood plain.
See Danny, when it comes to great ideas and good planning anywhere in Cairns, it all goes out the window when 'a mate' wants approval for some inappropriatly located cock-eyed venture - that even Council's own planners recommend against. It's not what's good for Cairns, or what's bad ... it's who you have in your pocket in Council and then anything goes. No wonder we are all jaded.

KitchenSlut said...

Thaddeus, I dont see how the 'comprehensive list' in thursdays Compost is related to Danny Betros' theme that the CBD needs work be it public or private?

I noted a report in todays Weekend Oz quoting Bill Cummings: "If you look at government-related building approvals for the last six months, there was $345 million in Townsville and only $67m in Cairns." I don't trust the veracity of most regional stats at the moment given volatility and partisan spinning!

However, there was some passing commentary in Vals forum presentation on monday which we shouldn't let slip by. Relying on memory (and I think MM said he had a tape)Val commented that she was disappointed early this year to discover that coucil was falling behind on it's capital budget and had moved to outsource to ensure the work was done.

In terms of fiscal policy given the economic position of Cairns this is a somewhat significant failure! I can only presume this was during the Shier / Blake / Briggs brouhaha? Executive and all councillors are accountable. perhaps particularly as elected reps in critical roles on relevant committees Val, Blakey(now removed), and Paul Gregory should explain?

Apart from further accountability demanded by AA (*swoon**blush*)in her compost letter on the Hull Affair this only adds to reasons for Desley Boyle as relevant minister to appoint a judicial enquiry which will be publicly released?