I have attended the majority of open Council meetings where Mayor Pinson has been in the Chair.

To my mind they have been far from dysfunctional and I have, as a former Councillor myself, formed the opinion that the Councillors have voted according to their own opinions and not in blocs.

I would make the following points:

1. The Mayor, on taking office, did not understand the actual powers of the Mayor and her role in being the spokesperson for the Council.

2. She has failed to persuade her fellow Councillors to her point of view. She has barely tried, as she should, to achieve consensus in the Council.

3. Consequently, she now claims she and others (unspecified persons) are being bullied and harassed. I believe this is the case because she can't get her way.

4. She claims that Councillors are not accepted and/or acting in the interests of the community. She fails to provide proof of her claim.

I believe we have a Council that has performed well except for our Mayor who has proved herself to be a poor loser.

John Oxley

Port Macquarie