IT IS interesting to note the bravado and wild promises many potential candidates for councillor and mayor positions are using.
If you think for one minute that – after the September elections – any of you will be able to “fix the roads” and have the knowledge, skill and resources to do this, you obviously know something hundreds of fulltime council staff, the general manager and three previous administrators don’t.
Let’s be realistic. The council budget hasn’t got much flesh on it, it has been set for at least this financial year, and the main priority when we get an elected council will surely be to maintain business continuity until you complete your induction and start a process of professional development.
I have complete admiration for council staff who, through all the ups and downs of the past five years, have continued to provide great customer service to the community.
But they rarely get a mention! Remember, it is the elected members’ responsibility to develop policy, but it is the responsibility of the general manager and staff to implement policy.
On election day, we will have candidates, hopefully, who are genuine in their intentions to serve their communities.
It will need a team effort, and not just you, to make it work!
Peter Floyd, Port Macquarie