Ratepayers need questions and answers printed in the Council Agenda — Knight, Shirley 2013.01.28

[I] refer to the responses by [Kangaroo Island] Deputy Mayor Peter Clements to [the] article [in The Islander:] “Council moves to disallow preamble”.

The Deputy Mayor was playing with the truth in responding to [this] article.  In my letter [found on this post] I referred to the use of the word “embellishment” [by him, in relation to preambles in councillors’ questions] being a huge assumption.

I now question the Deputy Mayor’s credibility in [his] answering The Islander with

“I admit in the past I have put questions with preamble”.

Would the Deputy Mayor please inform us of [these] questions?

Because, according to the answer by the CEO about the number of questions on notice by each elected member of council from the beginning of the new council up until 12th July last year, the Deputy Mayor asked zero questions.

In fact 5 elected members, including the Mayor Jayne Bates, had asked zero questions. [QoNs; see this post]

My analysis of that figure could be that it shows that those 5 members are fully informed and do not need answers.  Is that what [Cr Clements] meant by a “level playing field”?

May one suggest that [these persons] do not want any answers printed in the Agenda for the ratepayers to see; with all the implications that entails.

I believe the elected members need a medal for asking the questions they do [Crs Liu and Walkom].  As ratepayers who pay the bills, we need the transparency of all on the Council.

Shirley Knight

[contribution slightly edited by the webmaster for the sake of clarity]

[see also “Council administration censors Councillor’s Question on Notice — Bittar G. 2013.01.11“]

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