Tue, 27. August 2013
The Mayor Who Doesn't Care
When MAS went public in October 2012 with its dream to build an observatory, the newly elected mayor responded publicly by declaring she would meet with us to be briefed about our proposal.
The next day, on behalf of MAS, I formally sought meetings with the Mayors of Campbelltown and Wollondilly. The Mayor of Wollondilly (Col Mitchell) jumped at the chance to meet with us and MAS representatives attended his office just two working days later, following which he expressed written support for our venture.
There was silence from the Campbelltown Mayor (Sue Dobson).
Two months later, on 12/12/12, after a couple of e-mails to the Mayor & GMs Office to ask when the meeting was likely to be held, I received a testy response:
Dear Rodger
Appointments are made for the Mayor through the General Managers Office
The General Manager attends all appointments with the Mayor
That is why I forward your request to the GMs Office to arrange
This is a very busy time of the year and has been exceptionally so leading into the Christmas break
It is unlikely now that you would obtain a meeting until the New Year after the holiday break
Acknowledging the work load of the General Manager leading into Christmas
Also taking into consideration the availability of the GM to attend appointments with the Mayor
I hope that this clarifies my position for you in relation to all requests for appointments
Regards
Sue Dobson
Not a single full stop; a mispelt name; an admission that she needs to have a babysitter at any meeting; blaming the lack of appointment on the General Manager and his office staff; no statement about how keen she is to meet us and discuss the proposal. However, I interpreted this as a definite commitment to meet us early in 2013.
It is astonishing that the Mayor cannot trust herself to meet constituents without the General Manager being present (or maybe the General Manager does not trust the Mayor to meet us without him there). What does she say when she steps out of the Council door and actually meets someone? "Wait a minute, I'll call the General Manager down?"
Regardless, she has now broken two firm commitments to meet MAS representatives, one made publicly in The Advertiser, the other made personally to me to meet us äfter the 2012-13 holiday break.
So when the Mayor moaned in the Chronicle last week about not getting an appointment with Premier O'Farrell, I just had to respond:
Clearly, there will be no meeting and this Mayor will not support our aims but it is cowardly of her not to inform us so, instead of making commitments to meet us which she had no intention of keeping.
I'm not sure that I can work out exactly why she has been so downright discourteous to MAS and refused to meet our deputation. Lack of gumption? Bad manners? Incompetence? Laziness? Not up to the task? Worried we might ask for financial help?
Whatever the reason, I am hoping for a better outcome in next month's annual Mayoral election and I am not alone there!