Glen Hartwig publicity stunt fails to impress

Mayor Hartwig flippantly remarked at the outset that, ‘This could go pear-shaped’. But it was pear- shaped by design.

Letter to the Editor

I watched the inaugural “Ask the Mayor” with embarrassment.

Mayor Hartwig flippantly remarked at the outset that, “ This could go pear-shaped.” But it was pear- shaped by design.

Answering as many questions as you can in 90 seconds inevitably results in answers that are glib and lacking in detailed supporting evidence. And so they were.

Keeping the questions secret from the Mayor before the show begins is no excuse for the inclusion of trivia questions about beanie fabrics and the “best advice you have been given”.

The question about the lack of progress since the CEO’s appointment was obviously loaded, but the Mayor either didn’t get it or chose to ignore it.

In his rebuttal of the lack of progress claim, he listed an improved financial situation, and upgraded road maintenance, but said the council wasn’t into spruiking things that people are not interested in. I doubt if the Mayor would be surprised to hear that those are the very things that ratepayers are interested in.

The matter of the council’s awareness of the need to “reduce green waste” will be good news for those who are worried that council is considering making green waste of two of the most attractive trees in Mary Street. The trees in front of Mia Bella. I don’t know if this is so.

If it is true, I can understand the concern. The result would be the destruction of 30 years growth in little more than 30 seconds and an ugly gap in the streetscape. It also begs the question about the future of the rest of the trees. Do they all have a limited future? Are we headed back to a treeless Mary Street?

I believe the council ( we ratepayers really) retain an arborist. One would hope he or she could come up with a less drastic solution than a woodcutter. Perhaps some careful subterranean surgery?

Such would be a small step towards buffing the council’s somewhat smudged halo on matters of conservation.

Merv Welch, The Palms

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