COMMENT by ERWIN CHLANDA
The public has preferred the Alice Springs Town Council, since inception 50 years ago, to be non-political.
It has now hit bottom with its undignified and misleading efforts by some elected members and senior staff clearly aimed at getting Deputy Mayor Jacinta Nampijinpa Price preselected as the Country Liberal Party’s Senate candidate tomorrow.
The bizarre events in the past few days came to light when Cr Price, best known for her close to zero initiatives and frequent absences during the four year term, has come up with a plan for youth employment initiatives. This is within a hair’s breadth of the council entering caretaker mode ahead of the Town Council elections.
The plan is described in a four page brochure displaying council logos, giving it official appearance, but lacking all but the most basic financial details and these are unexplained. The Feds may put in some money, suggests Cr Price. And all that by July 1 – which is on Thursday next week.
The colourful leaflet is naming as participants in the project eight local organisations which Cr Price admits have never been spoken to. Only one has – just once.
The public was told by Cr Price at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting:–
• Council CEO Robert Jennings and other staff collaborated in the production of the brochure, featuring a large portrait of her (pictured).
• Also collaborating in the scheme is Cr Jamie de Brenni, declared mayoral candidate and president of the CLP who will (presumably) be chairing tomorrow’s preselection party meeting in Darwin.
• All this is happening on the watch of Mayor Damien Ryan, who will not be seeking re-election but was a CLP candidate in the 2020 Legislative Assembly election. He lost his bid for Araluen to sitting Member Robyn Lambley and swiftly returned to his $100,000 a year job as Mayor.
• Cr Price, Indigenous program director for the right-wing Centre for Independent Studies, on her Facebook account falsely claims that the council had unanimously accepted her plans whereas what it actually did was agreeing to having a look at it.
That the August council poll will be interesting is assured.
The more I read about the political moves associated with Alice Springs Town Council the more I’m inclined to say with regards to Mayor Damian Ryan, watch this space.
Another wanna be politician, at the expense of a community that voted to have him represent them, yet we saw a perceived mover and shaker miss out in the last Territory elections, this hopeful wanna be politician deposed of grandiose power that just didn’t happen.
However, as per LGA standards of which he was the most prominent mover and shaker, he “swiftly returned to his 100,000 a year job”, only to not seek re-election.
So, what’s going on you well may ask?
Let me speculate. The party of his preference have now offered something better.
The moves to have a preferred party member, in fact, party official, elected to the mayoral position, his former position, is similar to the Hawke/Keating transition. So where then for Mayor Ryan?
Well, as I said, watch this space in political circles and job positions.
Would love to be a fly on the wall in circles related to this particular political party!
Forgive me. This is how one rate paying person of the Alice Springs community sees it.
Relieved it makes the two of us: “The mayor is the voice of the council and the voice has to deal with politicians on a Federal and state basis of all persuasions, so I believe the mayor should be independent to serve the community best.”
Am I missing something? Have not the councils throughout Australia been infiltrated by absolute lefty plants, and in some cases weeds, I ask you?
I have no doubt you are correct Allen Byrne however I’m commenting on this town council.
What a pity we MUST have our name ticked of to verify that we have turned up to vote.
That being so, whether or not the people standing for election are “lefty”, green, conservative or otherwise, if they can earn a kudos for their community benefitting proposals and make every attempt to carry them out, then they will continue to get my vote.
They are supposedly there to represent their community, not some delusional power trip to feed their own agenda.
If they fail to carry out or attempt to carry out their electioneering promises then I can assure you, they will never (with good reason) get my vote again.
We are all born with a unique brain and should find a clean A-political mindset about community interests relatively matured by the time we reach voting age.
That mindset will be (if allowed) a true test of our own character.
The mindset however of a political opportunist is prone to being exposed.
However, I thank you for your comment.
To the editor: The online breaking news service that you offer is a valuable connect with those former Central Australian residents who now live interstate.
You provide excellent coverage on all things NT but I do think that the continued pursuit of the shortcomings of council and its elected members is becoming rather boorish.
This has been the subject of editorial scrutiny for over 15 years. Only the names have changed.
Surrender the reporting of background noise of council to others and re establish your proven journalistic skills to advance the region with enthusiasm.
@ Paul Lelliott: I strongly disagree with your comment that reporting in this publication is too hard on the Council.
The ugly and still unresolved issue of the Hartley St solar lights, the failure to do their part to clean up dumped rubbish, the lack of transparency and the smoke screen of “operational silence” highlighting the lack of power of our elected members are only pursued here.
Were it not for this publication we would be left in the dark while paying high rates to fund most of what the council does.
Always great to read feedback in our local online news breaking service, Paul, and it’s pleasing to hear your above comments on former Central Australian residents. Even better to read that you consider the service an excellent one.
Bet the online staff will be pleased to know that. I tend to agree with your soundings on that, by the way.
However, as a current resident please be assured that should I ever need to leave the Centre I will do so with sadness and while looking back on what was once a vibrant town, hope never to be one who would encourage those who stay and report on what now appears to be a shadow of its former self, to not do so. WHY?
Well, the leadership group that calls itself town / community representatives. That’s the group you suggest surrendering too, yet they adhere to local policies, LGA policies and guidelines that best suit their own needs, not the needs of the town people who unfortunately have had to put up with their self serving political intentions for maybe those 15 years of scrutiny you have referred to.
Results: Businesses closing down, employers have had enough. Party political squabbling creating indecision. Absence of trust, concerning allegations etc etc.
If you happen to be one of those who now live interstate, please be considerate about your “rather boorish” comment. We do have our own unique voice.
Maybe when you reach a certain age, maybe retirement or dependent on this “excellent coverage”, then by having a means of being informed about the place you live in, and offering comment, maybe you will appreciate that why even reading your opinion is welcoming, suspicious maybe, but always welcomed.
It seems to me that it gets down to a couple of basics when shop retail small businesses have to close down in the main shopping centres.
(1) Either the product they are selling does not have the customers anymore or (2) the cost of replenishing damaged and stolen stock and repairing vandalised premises becomes simply too great. What others am I missing? In Alice? Has anyone come up with a simple list of the factors?