*"Yeah, you write that down Nick and put it in your blog!"*...well if you say so Steve...(and said to you with all the usual unpleasantness...I was there-Ed)
Yesterday 30/05/13 I attended the fourth of the five 'Budget Consultation' meetings that Mt Gambier City Council is holding at the library to give the illusion that they are doing consultation, and *this* is what Mayor Perryman had to say as I looked down to write his answer to my question (to follow). Please see previous posts on this issue, particularly the behaviour of Mayor Steve Perryman..
Briefly; he showed up half way through the meeting Tuesday 21/05/13 and went literally right round the room to come and lean on the back of the chair next to me and lean right over me, an act of deliberate intimidation...it is unacceptable as much as it hilarious. As per previous post, if I had stood up I would have collided with him.
He did it again yesterday. Mayor Perryman showed up 5 minutes after I did, and went past four empty chairs, right around behind the accumulated luminaries representing Council, right round the room to come and sit next to me...(oo, oo, I'm calling 'An Epic Fail'...bags "An Epic Fail'-Ed)...you sound very confident...(yeah, well I know your style...and besides, you haven't been arrested-Ed)...hilarious, and yet nice...nice...no of course I wasn't arrested, but yes you have stolen my thunder somewhat...oh, and thanks for saying I have style...
But he didn't just sit in the seat a metre away, he picked it up (while seated still) and took a big shift left towards me to within a foot of my briefcase on the floor next to me.
I said to him as he sat down, "Don't sit next to me". I said it again as he moved the chair closer, and then a third time. He completely ignored me, staring straight ahead. There's no way he didn't hear me.
As this was happening some more people showed up and Steve picked up his chair (still seated) and swung it toward me and it clipped my briefcase.
I called it straight away, "If you think you're pulling another stunt like Tuesday, forget it." and picked up my laptop and pad and moved straight across to the four chairs he had passed to come and sit next to me...(I think he likes you-Ed)...yes, thankyou...and then went back and retrieved my briefcase...with several 'excuse me's' as I went.
Present were Councillors Byron Harfield, Ian Von Stanke, Merv White, and Allen Smith, CEO Mark McShane, Operations Manager Darryl Sexton, and Mayor Perryman...and as it turns out a number of former Councillors and their wives/partners.
Either side of Mayor Perryman's entrance, etc, Cr Harfield and CEO McShane 'explained' the Budget and various projects, and why we must borrow now and the public made us do it and blahhhhhh...(now, come on...explain yourself properly-Ed)...it was all the same pseudo justification, blame shifting, and misrepresentation of the figures...please see previous blogs.
The first person to speak from the floor was Robert Miles who appeared to be reading prepared notes, and immediately stated that 'Council should toughen up on people who speak out' and slammed the media, saying "...that bloke who writes fom his front porch should be shot..." (Graham Greenwood's From the Front Porch column in The Border Watch), and that Jason (Wallace-TBW), Stan (Thompson-ABC) and a couple of other names I didn't catch, should all be hauled into line...quite extraordinary...
He is quoted in today's TBW;
"I am having trouble understanding why council doesn't get tougher on people who criticise
them for spending money."
There was repeated praise for Council, and the Main Corner, and 'you've got to spend to earn', and all the usual esoteric nonsense that doesn't reflect the reality. I knew that this was basically a 'hostile crowd' so I just waited for an opening...and I didn't have to wait long...
Even in such a 'loaded' crowd their were a couple of voices of quiet dissent, leading to someone commenting on the cost of the Main Corner Project, and Mayor Perryman interrupted with the observation that 'people don't understand, it's not a cost blow-out, Council tendered for different bits, and that Council voted for the increases'*. (*paraphrase)
I put my hand up and Cr Harfield acknowledged me, and when Mayor Perryman finished I asked the question, 'So you're confirming that Council is directly responsible for the increases?'*. As I looked down to my notes, Mayor Perryman half-yelled across the room; "Yeah you write that down Nick and put it in your blog!"
But I persisted "So that's a yes?", and after several goes, he did eventually confirm it; Council voted for, is fully responsible for, the massive cost blowouts on the Main Corner.
Shortly thereafter I got CEO Mark McShane to confirm that Council intends to spend several millions of borrowed money on the Rail Lands and Old Hospital with no plan for generating any return...they are going to borrow, then spend it with no way to recoup it.
But not before he had another disasterous attempt at laughing at me and denigrating me...an epic fail within an epic fail...epic...
My question was about how Council would repay these proposed borrowings on top of the annual running cost for the library ($2million) and $650,000 for the Main Corner with virtually no return, and his first response?...that same empty, affected laugh and "Oh, Nick, so you think people should pay to use the library?"...and then he scanned the crowd for support...
I responded simply 'I said no such thing, don't change the subject, answer the question"...and after several back-and-forths eventually he did...and the answer is...YES...Council has no plan for recouping the massive costs of the Library and Main Corner projects, or their combined annual running costs of $2.5million, or the money they intend to borrow and spend on the Rail Lands and Old Hospital.
Debt, debt, and more debt, and absolutely no plan for how to address it...oh, other than lie about the current massive rate rises, completely and repeatedly misrepresenting the ultimate rise of approx 100% over 10 years...but plenty of people have become aware of the deceit...but that didn't stop Mayor Perryman going on the ABC Radio yesterday and again lying about it, even after a young woman rang in and corrected him.
No plan other than for the Mayor to write to TBW threatening that Council will "review" its spending on other items, including the fundamental services they should be providing and financial support for certain events, etc, if not allowed to put up the rates.
At yesterday's meeting Mayor Perryman again raised the issue that "...it costs Council $400,000 a year for street lighting...", an echo even resurrection of the stupid idea that Council had a go at doing only two yeas ago...can't afford the lights, so we're going to turn them off...just wait...
Lies, threats, bullying, harassment, intimidation...(well, attempted intimidation-Ed)...fake consultation, etc, etc...this is the City Council of Mount Gambier...and (Ed), here's a chance to change horses...you still want 'An Epic Fail'?...(ahh, I don't like where this is headed...but I know you...this is reverse psychology...you want me to change...so yes, I'll stick with An Epic Fail -Ed)...good choice...
Mayor Perryman's little effort in coming to sit near me was a deliberate construct to engender a response that could be used against me...in front of the CEO, four Councillors, Daryl Sexton, and a room full of Councils supporters...(are you suggesting that the whole thing was a set-up to 'get you'?-Ed)...absolutely...(can I change horses now?-Ed)...no...and it gets better...
Cr White and Von Stanke, usually so keen to express to me why and/or how I'm wrong, never said one word to me, whilst I was speaking, or indeed virtually at all...they had very clearly been very thoroughly worded up about shutting up...compare this to Cr Von Stanke's extraordinary behaviour at the Saturday meeting (previous post)...can't have that idiot going off like that again, particularly in front of so many people...and not a word from Sexton or Smith either...
And when I got there at exactly 2pm everybody bar a few were already present, seated , and ready to go...5 minutes after I arrive, Perryman comes in and sits right next to me but completely ignores me, tries to provoke me with his behaviour, and then there were repeated attempts to denigrate and laugh at me...and nery a word from Von Stanke and White...and that's the kicker...there's just no way those two clowns sat there silently without having received very specific direction to shut the hell up...
I knew in the moment exactly what Perryman was trying to do, but only realised all this last night when describing it to someone...you call it what you like, but yesterday Council loaded up that meeting and then Perryman came in to trip the trap, and just because it is my nature, I chose to move not react...they all found themselves herded into their own trap and me standing on the outside looking in...and thusly may it be said about the land...hear ye, hear ye...
An Epic Fail...(you know...I'm gonna give you that one...I think you're absolutely right...good work-Ed)...thankyou...
So dear reader, I shall leave it to you decide for yourself...My Paranoia fighting My Ego for supremacy...or the desperate act of a desperate Council...
As always, your humble servant, Nick Fletcher.
Tomorrow: Latest Wind Turbine Propaganda on ABC Radio
Oh, and Council...see you Sunday, you naughty, naughty boys...grrrr...
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