THE Sentinel Times, October 8 certainly made for interesting reading, including the letters. The lead article on page one dealing with the forthcoming Bass Coast Shire Council elections outlines electioneering by one group supporting their candidates that can only be described with words like tawdry and grubby.
The reported Labor Party how-to-vote card and the large list of candidates smacks as an effort to split the vote to get one candidate up, “our own Cr Leticia Laing”, says Tully Fletcher. Wonder how local State member feels about that description. As a recent councillor, Cr Laing, in my view has not done well in the role. But then the good councillor is not alone on that score.
Then the Greens Candidate writes very odd letters in the Sentinel, which suggests the young man needs to develop some resilience in his approach to politics, nor, as an “aged local resident”, do I see his stated few years working in ACT Minister’s office for “Seniors” as relevant councillor experience. We can all read policy and budget documents.
Then page five dealing with the candidate views on the Inverloch rock sea walls. Five candidates say no and one yes. But folks, the Minister has already said no to rock walls and yes to beach renourishment, so that was an easy “no” call. You don’t want to upset the State Minister.
Mind you this is again a “cart before the horse decision”. The horse being a proper engineering study first, and the Cape to Cape report is not such a document. In the end, both beach renourishment and some geotextile walls shaped into dunes will be needed to address the surf beach problem. And may still be only a short-term solution.
Rod Gallagher, Inverloch
