Friday 17 September 2010

Fast car emailer is quick to take aim at Council leaks

Last year I blogged about an anonymous emailer, calling him or herself "MyLamborghini.Fast."

The nameless complainant wrote to Council, concerned at leaks to CairnsBlog, suggesting they were coming from certain Councillors.

"The current goings-on of our councillors disgusts me. Each is having their turn at leaking information to the press (and I use this term loosley [sic] in reference to CairnsBlog) to dfiscredit [sic] each other," mylamborghini.fast@gmail.com wrote.

"All this is doing is hurting the council. The CRC is being portrayed poorly by the actions of these councillors. There is something to be said for the council being open and disclosing information to the ratepayers, but to discredit council in the process is taking it too far."

"The councillors were elected by the ratepayers to represent them, not to play childish games in the most public way they can find and still obscure their identities. The councillors should all stop and think about what they are doing to the reputation of the Council and this beautiful city in which we all live," Lamborghini.fast said last year.

Well this week, he (or she) has been at it again.

  • From: Fast Cars mylamborghini.fast@gmail.com
    Sent: Wednesday, 15 September 2010 8:44 AM
    To: Rob Pyne
    Subject: Councillors Conduct

    I know that this is still you - you have lost my vote - I am very disappointed in you - I expected more from you.

    It is appalling to see that certain councillors are still leaking information to the press (this term is used loosely in reference to CairnsBlog, possibly giving Michael more credit than is due).

    Once again I will ask all councillors to take note of the Local Government Act 2009, Chapter 6, Division 5 Obligations of councillors, 171 Use of information by councillors:

    "(1) A person who is, or has been, a councillor must not use information that was acquired as a councillor to—
    (a) gain, directly or indirectly, a financial advantage for the person or someone else; or
    (b) cause detriment to the local government.
    Maximum penalty—100 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment.

    (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to information that is lawfully available to the public.

    (3) A councillor must not release information that the councillor knows, or should reasonably know, is information that is
    confidential to the local government.

    Note— A contravention of subsection (3) is misconduct that is dealt with by the tribunal.

Councillor Rob Pyne replied to the anonymous emailer.

"Go away flea!" he wrote back.

Pyne angered the invisible humanoid, who then sent a complaint to Cairns Regional Council CEO Lyn Russell. Lyn asked Councillor Pyne to apologise to the writer, but Pyne refused, citing this wasn't a real person and there was no name provided. Pyne even thinks it may be another councillor. I wonder who he is suggesting?

Following this exchange, mylamborghini.fast then sent the exchange to me.

  • Fast Cars mylamborghini.fast@gmail.com
    To: shout@cairnsblog.net
    Date: 15 September 2010 09:43
    Subject Fwd: Councillors Conduct

    "How about you post something about the attitude of councillors towards the ratepayers. Except you probably wont because Rob Pyne is your little friend that leaks all the council info to you for your blog."


As I've said previously, if this anon nutter is so interested in councillors who may leak information, then he should take aim at the big issues and the big culprits.

In May last year, I exposed information that showed Councillor Sno Bonneau was sharing residents' submissions, prior to controversial development approvals being considered. At a meeting, Bonneau said he had “been working very hard with the developers, Councillors, planners and the community.”

I know this is the CEO's job, but I'll step in and remind the Councillor that it is not his job to be working with developers, or for developers, and amounts to a very serious breach of the Code of Conduct as a Councillor. Call me old fashioned, but I thought he is supposed to be working for the residents, not developers. Ratepayers are not paying him to get controversial developments across the line. Or are they?

The colluding between elected councillors and developers is repugnant, and should be the real aim of any so-called "leaking". The exchange is well worth a read to refresh your memory about the way some in the community think it's okay to operate.

At the height of the dodgy secret radio deal between the then communications manager Kerie Hull and John Mackenzie's Radio 4CA show, Councillor Sno Bonneau asked at a Council meeting, how these leaks getting to CairnsBlog.

"Usually by email!" was the reply from the floor.

On this occasion I agree with Councillor Pyne. Mylamborghini has all the hallmarks of a flea - slightly annoying but can be squashed and ignored. He says he's only disparaged CairnsBlog twice in correspondence to council.

"Only because I believe that rather than being PRESS your column is an opinion piece - which I do follow as it is the only way to find out what is happening in local matters that are interesting," he says.

I have zero interest in nameless emailers. I know for a fact some councillors - and for the record, not Pyne - who have fake email addresses. Soon I will get an opportunity to publish them. I can't wait.

Lamborghini man's contradictions are as thick and fast as a Lamborghini dressed up like an old MX5.

9 comments:

Bryan Outlaw said...

This is all related to the story that the Hillbilly watcher has been trying to tell. Councillors controlled by the developers want the waterfront site where Val and the anti-developer councillors want to put the new theatre. They're using every despicable way to undermine the proposal so they can throw up some big shitty hotel or another monstrosity like the Harbour Lights (our "toaster" like in Sydney). The developers are out of control and need to be bitch slapped. Let's give it a try.

Undermining council processes, in their sick minds, gets them closer to the state declaring it "dysfunctional". Time for a criminal investigation, where subpoena power and breaking privacy seals can be used to expose the cretins responsible.

Ryan Inlaw said...

Bryan dicklaw have you considered a war or other in the next 10 to 30 years and the wharf space may be needed.
I say move it off the waterfront.

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

I find it extremely cowardly to use an alter ego when posting, e-mailing or writing letters to Councillors, MP's or other Governing bodies. It reeks of underhand machinations (as pointed out by Bryan) and should be given no credit or response. This method of complaint is not one that furthers the cause for the complainant and will often lead to the person responsible having their motives being called into question.

If you wish to take a swipe at someone, by all means do so, but have the decency and the sense to do it using your real name.

Fast Cars said...

Thank you - the only reason I refuse to name myself is that I fear retrubitive action from the councillor(s)

The "Real" Warren Entsch said...

Leigh, you write that it is "cowardly to use an alter ego when posting, e-mailing or writing letters to Councillors, MP's or other Governing bodies."

I'd agree when talking about emails or letters to elected representatives, or blog posts that contain serious allegations about the legality or morality of someone's behavior.

But stating political opinions on a blog? There's no reason I or anyone else shouldn't use a pseudonym, especially if I am hoping to avoid abuse and vilification, even violence, from people who don't like what I say.

Insisting that every post should carry the person's real name is too precious by half, and also raises the problem of knowing for certain that it IS their real name.

This is a blog, not a peer reviewed journal, not Hansard, not a court - it's supposed to be irreverent, and cheeky, and pungent, and fun!

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

Excellent point The 'real' Warren Entsch has made. However, I don't recall stating that blog comments need to have a real name attached to them. Let the process be anonymous if people prefer to comment that way. I was referring only to 'official' complaints and stated that these should not be taken seriously if written anonymously.

the real Leigh Dall'Osto said...

Surely it is what that's written that's important.

Not so important is what anonymous name that is used.

One needs to protect oneself from the inevitable rabid verbal diarrhea responses from the dickwad masses that read this crap.

Admittedly Fake Warren Entsch said...

Thanks Leigh, thought you'd agree - I interpreted "posting" as a reference to blog posts, rather than your actual snail mail. Silly me!

Thaddeus said...

Dr Ken Chapman, Chairman of Ports North, Cairns has AGAIN explained that the land designated for the Cairns Cultural Precinct will NOT impact on current or future uses of the wharves or growth of sea freight and is compatible with Cityport and Sea Port Master plans.
I wonder HOW MANY TIMES does Ports North have to come out and say this?
Don't tell me there isn't some conspiracy going on. SOMEONE desperately wants that bloody land...and THEY ARE NOT GOING TO GET IT. It belongs to US, the people of Cairns.