I read with dismay the article in The Islander this week [2013.09.19] written by former editor Shauna Black, which highlights the dysfunction of our council and it is time we took this dysfunction seriously. Shauna did not attend the meeting so with whom was she relying upon for her sources? Shauna appears not to have checked out or understood thoroughly the difference between the words diverted and suspended. In the interest of balance a chat with Cr Liu would have provided her with the intentions and objectives of Cr Walkom’s letter, which underpinned Cr Liu’s putting of the motion to suspend the grants.
Cr Liu’s motion [was] that Council should consider suspending (NOT diverting), the $150,000 grant money, in order to use it for purposes of getting those affected by flooding out of trouble.
Were the CEO, and Councillors putting the interests of those people receiving the grants before the interest of those affected by the flooding?
The two councillors Liu and Walkom were not diminishing the total grant programme at that time and this should have been acknowledged by the CEO and those councillors who voted against the motion of Cr Liu.
As I see it this whole article was concocted to put Crs Walkom and Liu in a bad light. Fortunately, as far as most in the community and those affected would see it, the benefit of beginning the task of making good the damage to roads would, I believe, outweigh the temporary inconvenience of the grantees.
Shirley Knight
Kangaroo Island
Pehaps Shauna doesnt comhrehend what the damage roads are really all about except for a adventure excursion. How many councillors are affected by these roads also bears in my mind. Most of those applauding council for their grants probably dont have to venture on or be stranded by these roads. I have never seen such a disgusting state of roads that we need a 4WD to navigate thru in 1st gear . I fully applaud Walkom and Liu for their intelligence in asking for a suspension from the grants and to put the roads first.