It is one thing to vent one's spleen in public and not be recognised, but to disturb the patrons of a popular beach side cafe while wearing an easy to read name badge, is quite another.
The councillor complained long and loud to her companion about one councillor who, reportedly in a bad mood, wanted to annex Maryborough and its problems from the Fraser Coast Regional Council altogether. Interesting that the councillor being complained about said he supported an amalgamated council during his election campaign and indeed secured a swag of votes from Maryborough voters.
The councillor also proclaimed her disgust at how one councillor had treated her during a meeting, to the point that she became so upset she felt "nauseous". That another councillor needed to be pulled into line and support the Maryborough councillors. And the Mayor needed to do more to keep his team in line.
The tirade finished with a bemused shaking of her head and a "why am I putting up with this, for what? $70,000 a year? I could be earning $150,000 in private enterprise, but I have made a commitment. Perhaps I should do what a lot of the others do, just take my $70,000 and sit back and do nothing."
Could a bye-election be on the cards?
I understand this councillor's frustration with some of her colleagues, but that is the nature of politics. Councillors are there to do the job of representing those who elected them. Sometimes it can be bloody. Loyalties are fickle and it must be remembered councillors are not members of a quilting club. They are a disparate group, each pushing their own agenda. The niceties can disappear in an instant despite all initially pledging to honour the Councillor Code of Conduct.
11 comments:
Reading "Cracks appear in new council team". Reminds me of two old sayings; little birds in teir nest should love one another, and
uneasy lies the head that waers the crown. All this from a team of
"local, experienced leaders"!!
"The councillor complained long and loud about one councillor who, reportedly in a bad mood, wanted to annex Maryborough and its problems from the Fraser Coast Regional Council altogether."
Hate to be a pedant but did you mean excise rather than "annex"?
Excise would have been a better word to use but it was not the word used by the councillor complaining about what the other councillor said.
BecT
Sounds like a typical performance from a councillor described previously on this site as "Biddy Marchant" which was very funny, if a little too real.
But seriously, name even one current councillor who is realistically capable of earning $150,000 in private enterprise. Me thinks they have tickets on themselves, or have been living in fantasy land too long where they decide their own pay!
Winning a popularity contest/vote does not equate to competence and earning ability in the real world.
I agree.. there is not one councilor in the sorry bunch elected that has even in there wildest dreams the capability of earning $150,000 a year .. love to know who has tickets on themselves just the same ....
In all fairness to the councillor concerned, $150,000 a year isn't that much these days. And these councillors CLAIM to work 60 hours or more per week - which equates to just $50/hr. Even at 40 hours a week, that's just $75 an hour. Anyone with a bit of nous (and I assume most councillors have plenty) can earn that standing on their head.
The average person with a bit of nous is NOT earning $75 per hour. Certainly not standing on their head. These councillors do not work 60 hrs per week. Turning up to meetings several times a week, fielding several phone calls per day and meeting a resident for coffee occassionally does not equate to full time work. If they are going out attending functions every night and claiming that as work then they really do not have the ability to exist in the corporate world, let alone earn $150,000 per year.
You will find that in 'the corporate world', the more functions you attend and the more meetings you field, the less actual work you achieve - but the more you get paid. In the real world however, you get paid for what you achieve. But seriously, $150G equates to $3000 a week. Even a humble self-employed bobcat/excavator driver can earn that by lunch-time Tuesday. Take maintenance, fuel and misc costs out of the equation, and I might have to work another half day. I know a retired bloke who got a bit bored, and at an auction in Brisbane he bought himself a second hand commercial grade stump grinder for $7000. Another few hundred he spent on a bracket to attach it to his ute (to save towing a trailer), was charging himself out at $130/hr (min 2 hrs) and he has been flat out for over 18 months and is still turning back work - never advertised anywhere - just word of mouth. These are just two examples of uneducated people who can see where there is a need. These councillors are highly educated, motivated, and experienced. You can't seriously tell me they couldn't earn $150g in the real world. If they can't, tell 'em to contact me and I'll put 'em on a bobcat.
$3000 by Tuesday lunch at $130 per hr? That would be 23 hrs work out of 28. Totally unbelievable! Even more unbelievable that one of the current councillors would work that hard! And they dont have to pay the costs of running vehicles or machinery. That all gets paid for them too! In fact they write laws that stop us from working that hard. I am only allowed to use machinery for a maximum of about 12 hrs a day otherwise they threaten to shut me down due to noise complaints.
Maybe a better comparison would be to see what each of the current councillors were earning BEFORE they went into council. That is a much more realistic guide to what they could earn in the corporate world. Stop dreaming.
Sorry, you misunderstood me. The $130 an hour was what the seimi-retired guy with the stump grinder charges (min 2hrs). As for earning $3000 by lunchtime Tuesday, why is that so hard for you to believe? Without giving away too many secrets, to dig a hole for a swimming pool with a excavator/bobcat/tipper combo, you get paid between $900 and $1200 base rate, depending on size, soil type, access and distance to dump spoils. If the job exeeds 3 hours, or it requires a rock breaker, or utilities are hit, it cost much more. So $900 is the bare minimum, with most closer to the $1200 plus extras. We book 2 digs each Monday and 2 each Tuesday, but usually will start on the first Tuesday job late on Monday. The third job would normally be finished by morning tea Tues, and then straight to the next. Obviously if the first 3 digs were simple $900 jobs, we'd get all three done on day 1 and start dig number 4 first up Tuesday. Either way you do the math, that's well over $3000. OK, it takes quite a bit of skill and experience to dig a pool hole, but everyone has their own individual talents - even councillors. To say that none would secure $150K jobs without knowing what their particular specialty is, is just incorrect.
Sounds to me like the average resident on the Fraser Coast is getting ripped off by councillors, stump grinders and bobcat drivers all round!
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