It has become something of a pastime for journalists and would-be commentators to denigrate the role councillors play in public administration.
It seems most would prefer to focus on the dubious value of so-called ‘overseas jaunts’ to distant sister cities and to conferences on obscure engineering subjects inevitably set in Tuscany or some other equally salubrious destination.
What doesn’t make the headlines or the by lines for that matter is the endless public meetings and sub-committees our councillors have to attend, in addition to the formal council activities.
It also must be acknowledged that the corporatisation of councils with highly remunerated and professionally qualified CEOs and senior staff with complex organisational structures has tended to make the traditional role of part time lowly paid councillors inordinately difficult to perform, so much so it is unlikely that anyone, other than someone with political aspirations, would deliberately involve themselves in such a thankless and time consuming task.
Certainly most capable people in their middle years are completely engrossed in their careers, raising a family and paying off the mortgage, so the prospect of their involvement is extremely unlikely.
Of course, there remains one growing source of talent and that is the retired or semi-retired. Often coming from senior business roles or self-employment these ‘baby boomers’ are essentially the only group who have the real ability to make a substantial contribution.
Going forward let’s hope this idealistic generation can make the same positive impact on local government that they have made on so many other areas of our modern society.
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Kids being kids … or vandals?
As I write this column two young kids, whom I don’t readily recognise, (but seem harmless enough) are cheerfully constructing a large dirt mountain alongside the concrete apron around a large stormwater grate set in the middle of a park reserve mere metres from the bottom of my garden.
In the process they have scraped away the grass and topsoil leaving a large patch of exposed ground which I imagine, based on past history, will be studiously avoided by the regular council grass-cutters in the coming weeks and eventually have to be repaired by yours truly.
When the fledgling structure is finally complete they will no doubt hurtle their mountain bikes at the makeshift ramp in an effort (probably fruitless) to become airborne … aah what it is to be young at heart!
In truth there was a time when at least one member of our household would have admonished them severely and sent them packing but my own inclination, these days at least, is more along the lines of “I think I would have done something similar (if not worse) when I was their age … so let them be”.
But are these the actions of vandals who we read are wantonly destroying public property or are they in fact pursuing the enjoyment of being outside (away from TV and the internet) and simply exercising both their young minds and bodies in a relatively harmless fashion?
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Poor subcontractors …
As a civil engineer, in another life, I have always been aware of the raw deal subcontractors receive when a prime contractor or developer goes belly up.
And whilst my own active role ceased over twenty years ago now I realise that some things, like getting paid, never seem to change.
There actually are some associations that have been specifically incorporated in recent years to represent this vulnerable group but the fact remains that subcontractors or tradies are the bottom of the building industry food chain and as a consequence will always end up carrying the financial burden in cases of liquidation or receivership - no matter how unfair that may be.
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