The news this morning is full of stories about the South East government primary school teacher suspended as a result of the Canadian Police's Child Pornography operation, but I'm still yet to work out if this is the same person from earlier this year...will keep you posted.
Meet Troy Bell: dinner was held last night, and I'd hope that endorsed state Liberal candidate Mr Bell would appreciate that I chose to not attend out of respect for him as a genuine candidate...(ah, your gift is your lack of presence-Ed)...exactly...(the gift that keeps on staying away-Ed)...indeed...Mr Bell who at this point in time is the second best hope that Mt Gambier has...(and I suppose you're the first best?-Ed)...sad isn't it?...(what? your delusion?-Ed)...ahaha, thankyou...no, sad that someone like me is arguably the best hope Mt Gambier has...(can't wait to hear this-Ed)...
Any South-East Liberal or Labor candidate/member will be lost in either government or opposition, and to my experience both major parties have thus far demonstrated a crass indifference about, disinterest in, and even dislike for the South East...(fair enough-Ed)...and in that context, it doesn't matter how good Troy Bell is, and it isn't his fault or failing...I re-iterate that from what little I do know of him, as a person, he is currently far and away the best bet for Mt Gambier, particularly ahead of alleged Independents and other Labor candidates...(I see what you did there...'and other Labor candidates'...nice-Ed).
(But still, are you spruiking an opponent?...you're not a very good politician, are you?-Ed)... actually, it's a cunning plan to undermine his credibility by supporting his candidacy...(ah, clever-Ed)...but seriously, I maintain that my genuine first interest is for my community, and if that means Troy Bell ahead of me, well I'd not just admit but argue that that would be a good thing all round...having said that, I still intend to run at the state election as the one Genuine Independent candidate...(go big fella-Ed).
A Punchline With Two Jokes: And in Europe yet another meat substitution scandal...it appears that the donkey meat used to replace the horse meat used to replace various meats in frozen food products, has itself now been replaced by English beef...(ooo, nobody needs that...you know, Mad Cow disease and all that-Ed)...exactly...but I'd have thought the brand name would have given it away...(the brand name?-Ed)...yeah, 'I Can't Believe It's Not Burro'...(that is atrocious-Ed)...thankyou...(I preferred my version-Ed)...do tell...
(European Union Health officials are concerned that the practice in some communities of consuming cholesterol laden horse meat, as covered in the popular lifestyle/recipe magazine, Equisine, has led to escalating levels of obesity and heart disease, so they are introducing a new range of low fat meals under the brand name 'I Can't Believe It's Not Burro'-Ed)...yeah, not bad, not bad...I like the equine cuisine Equisine thing...(let's not deconstruct this joke any further-Ed)...no, you're right, let's move on.
I like to try and lighten things up a bit, because the rest of this post is likely to be less than funny, because it appears that my predictions/theorisings are about to be realised re the potential for a massive cost blowout on the Old Hospital Demolition...and that's going to be financially disastrous for Mt Gambier, remembering of course that City Council has borrowed the money to do the Demolition and most of that money is going to leave the Mount.
Now it's, Hospital dispute - Litigation looms over $2.5m sale price shortfall (front page The Border Watch, Thursday 14th November 2013, attached below) and a whole new way for Council to put money into a little pot, set it alight, and do a little dance around it...yay...(a little less facetiousness wouldn't hurt thanks champ-Ed)...whatevs...according to the article litigation is not 'looming', it is already underway.
I cannot say with any certainty exactly what is happening with this, I don't know that much beyond the attached article, but you'll please excuse my screaming cynicism on this issue and that I find it very, very suspicious that it has taken 2 years for former Old Hospital owner Sky Towers Mount Gambier to decide they've got a problem with the sale and lodge legal proceedings...and I'd love to know just exactly who these people all are, so I'll check that out and post....
The first thing that has been asked of or stated to me, is 'does this have something to do with the official complaints that were recently lodged re Council and the Old Hospital Demolition Contract'?...several people have put it to me directly that they feel this is the case...there is the possibility that Mr Boots and his compadres have caught a whiff of smoke in the air, the smell of something fishy, and the taste of blood in the water, and have decided to have a stab...
(Plausible, but who's blood and where's the fire?-Ed)...well, the complaints and any subsequent investigations would be the fire, giving off smoke...(smoke being questions asked-Ed)...exactly...(and the blood?-Ed)...well, if Council have acted inappropriately, one likes to think they'll be doing some bleedin' down-home legal style...but whether they do or they don't, Council will continue to haemorrage ratepayers money on this and other ludicrous projects...particularly the expenditure on legal costs...
But the whole thing could be smoke and mirrors as part of a massive bloody Red Herring...this could potentially be a well orchestrated series of shrek-ups that sees Mr Boots and his chums not just get their unsaleable Old Hospital sold, but ultimately at a price that even apathetic Mt Gambians would have cut crook about, ie, if Council had payed $4m up front, or even $3m, there would hopefully have been some outrage.
I maintain that, as an 'unsaleable asset' in a grossly depressed housing market and broader local economy, and particularly given the state of the site and the costs involved in retrieving it to a 'liveable' space, that site was worth nothing, and that it has been put to me that in that context, and not having the money to renovate which therefore dictated demolition, then Council payed more than the site was worth at their $1.4million...(now reported as $1.54m-Ed)...indeed.
Why would Sky Towers wait until the site is half-cleared and the main building set to be demolished, and then lodge these claims?...how can the demolition proceed if there is current Court action questioning it's value?...does this explain why there apparently appeared to be no work on site yesterday, Friday 15th November?...(well the litigation apparently started in October 2013 so why wouldn't it have stopped then?-Ed)...good question...
And I don't believe one word of the Receivers John Hart and Bruce Carter being liable, because the Receivers do not and cannot control Council's zoning decisions or how Council behaves in the media, etc, they can only sell the site for the best price they can given the relevant conditions and restrictions, and that any Court action against them is likely to end in a finding that exonerates the Receivers but sets up Council as being liable...and armed with that finding Sky Towers will turn on Council...
Then, faced with a potential and already promoted "$2.5 sale price shortfall" Council will 'settle out of Court' for say $1.5m, with all the justifications and self congratulation about saving Mt Gambier ratepayers $1m and enormous legal costs...if this is the case, then Council can ultimately pay Sky Towers $3m for the site, and still say that they have done ratepayers a favour by capitulating and saving that $1m plus legal costs...
And if Council have actually screwed over Sky Towers by manipulating rezoning, etc, then Council will have to fight it, and that means big fat cheques made out of ratepayers money for Council's lawyers, and when they lose, and they will lose, buckets of rate-payers money for Damien Boots and the seven other litigants and all their lawyers as well...and if they just fold that's still another $2.5m to Sky Towers.
We're looking at a potential blowout of that $2.5m, plus legal costs for both sides, on top of the $1.54m purchase, the $3m demolition, and all the costs of the 'exclusions' of McMahons' tender that Council accepted responsibility for and will undoubtedly hide in various Council department budgets at the cost of other services...(wow, you are cynical-Ed)...just calling it as I'm seeing it...and that's starting to look awfully like $10m total.
And why does Mr Boots get to discuss his proposed alleged complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman re allegations of 'Conflict of Interest', a complaint that by definition will inevitably be
directed to the Office of Public Integrity and the Independent Commission of Corruption...I have covered these 'automatic referral processes' in previous posts...don't just talk about it Damien, bloody well do it, because otherwise it potentially looks like a hollow threat designed to back-up the legal action...(or further justify a Council capitulation-Ed)...now you're getting it...
I'll pull up here for 'tis a Saturday post and we all have better things to do...and we'll be back to this subject real soon, I promise.
Tomorrow: Some Good News
Or not, as the case may be...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
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