16 February 2008
How Low Can Local Government Go?
Local Government elections are to be held on the 15th of March 2008 and I have made little secret that I am pleased to be out of the country on this date. I have few personal grievances with anyone standing and quite like a handful of candidates yet overall, Local Government is a cesspit. Compared to State and Federal politics, local politics is a nightmare.
My teeth have been cut on Gold Coast City Council politics. The threats over innocuous political signage on people's private property. The fining of locals for parking in harmless places that we have parked on for 25 years without harassment. The professional cash for favours system that is virtually impossible to prove, as the decent Cr Peter Young discovered. When Cr David Power resigned and was employed by property developers, who he was representing did not change. Gold Coast City Council is a perverse world.
I am in the part of the world that is moving from Gold Coast City Council to Logan City Council. It is a completely different beast to Gold Coast City Council, but every bit as ugly. All that is different in this part of the world is that no one would choose to be seen as Liberal Party and the vile nastiness is brutal and upfront rather than smooth and professional.
Here are some characteristics of the current Logan City Council election battles:
- Innuendo and attacks about the health of all three mayoral candidates in the local Albert and Logan News.
- Significant amounts of signs being knocked over and or cut in half. These are characteristics normally more suited to nastier by-elections.
- Candidates, particularly Mayoral Candidate Pam Parker, doorknocking every house with good road visibility, to get signs in their front yard.
- Mayoral candidate John Freeman purchasing www.pamparker4mayor.com and www.pamparkerformayor.com.
- Logan City Council employees launching heavy fines for political signage of candidates on motor vehicles, while ignoring that of existing councillors rerunning.
- Harassment of political activists via scurrilous complaints to the Gold Coast City Council, Logan City Council and Queensland law enforcement authorities.
- Rumours, innuendo and outright lies circulating about any candidate that stands a chance, circulated through well established gossip channels. Proving that sitting councillors and many candidates really have too much time on their hands.
- In an impressive new low, the posting of the home phone numbers of elderly political activists in Beenleigh public toilets with "call this number for a good time".
Why is it, that when the fight is over such seemingly minor, non ideological issues like footpaths and rubbish bins, that there is so much viciousness? Perhaps elected Local Government positions are the best paying low level management jobs around? I am not sure, but I am confident that I have never, ever seen, at any level of government, the volume of filth that I have been observing in the battles for Logan City Council.
While realising the selfishness of this view, watching the fights has left me wondering if we even need local government. Do we really need it? Services like wheelie bins, footpaths, parks, gutters, planning regulations and what not could be stripped back to some formula. Why is the local government gravy train regarded as sacrosanct? Sometimes I wonder if the true error made during Queensland Local Goverment reform was to retain Local Government.
It's approaching midday on Saturday, and I probably should be out there trying to help a couple of mates who are candidates for the upcoming election. Then again, I just work up, breakfast is cooking and there is light rain outside. Despite working so hard that I have only seen my baby girl awake on one weeknight in two weeks, and resenting Local Government behaviours to the core, most weekends I am still helping candidates.
Suffice to say, my heart is not in it.
I would add that it probably should be the state government that could be more easily done without and replaced by a department of the Federal Government.
There are a lot of unseen things that both council and Councillors do that brings community together or tears it apart, from helping financially to assisting with organisation.
Councillors are not essential, but as a member of the public it is nicer to have someone to complain to rather than the mindless automnoton types that quite often man telephones in the public service and Council departments.
: 10:31 PMAnonymous #2 - I appreciate all of your points. More even handed thoughts on this subject will eventuate when/if Local Government ever gets itself out of the gutter. I have previously canvassed the idea of abolition of the State Government level.
And I have to say I agree with your and your commentors opinions on this subject, basicly the lack luster performance of Councils in general and the electioneering which in some cases should be called deceit.
People who are or who have been Party members should be up front about it, or people wonder why they are hiding it don't they?
: 6:53 PM<< Home
