LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – Is it OK for Councillor Chansey Paech (pictured) to skip Monday night’s Alice Springs Town Council meeting in favour of flying to Darwin at 5pm, wearing an NT Labor polo top. He returned to Alice on the morning flight today.
Co-incidentally, NT Labor Senate candidate Malarndirri McCarthy was holding a press conference in Darwin on Tuesday morning.
Illness is a good reason for absence and holidays may be another, but when one appears to choose to pursue ambition over current obligations it’s not a good look in my view.
Dave Carpenter
Alice Springs
Dear Dave,
I was going to Darwin to attend the funeral of a work colleague.
Council was notified of this.
And thank you for your interest in my fashion choices.
Well, that’s what I call awkward, Dave Carpenter! Perhaps next time you should be informed not just opinionated!
Sorry to hear that Chansey.
@ Chancey: Unfortunately, this is what happens when people in elected positions are actively pursuing something they have not been elected to do.
Sure, people look for different jobs all the time while working for someone else but they are not elected to do a job form people.
Yes, you have done nothing wrong in this case and commiserations for your loss.
You can’t blame Dave or anybody else, though, for seeing your absence on Monday night through a hairy eyeball.
You can’t blame ratepayers in Alice Springs for beginning to question the effectiveness of the council when about half of them appear to be chasing a seat in Territory Parliament.
Yes, as the election hasn’t been called officially no rules have been broken.
The other side of the coin is that everybody knows when the election is and so it’s only process anyway.
It is fair for people to ask whether those who have already been preselected have their attention elsewhere?
It’s called the moral high ground. It will be very important on August 27.
It goes to the first one of you who does the right thing – in the eyes of the voters – and stands down from playing with the rates money.
Surely this whole story should be retraced. He was on legitimate leave from council duties, and has done nothing wrong. We have all taken leave from our jobs before for sickness, funerals, and holidays.