Mayor Kathy Sajowitz responds to a letter in last week's Oberon Review.
TODAY I am taking a stand against inaccurate information being asserted by Mr H Draheim in a public forum ... in this instance, the Oberon Review.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I refer to a letter submitted to the March 21 edition published under the heading "Opinions and facts differ", an apt lead-in to the somewhat fanciful "facts" about what was purported to have been said at a meeting between the author of the letter, myself and senior staff on February 8.
I note that facts are in short supply here and misrepresentation abounds. I realise this response will likely generate much indignation and bluster so I may as well, as my mother used to say, be "hung for a sheep as for a lamb".
READ MORE:
When you need to resort to unnecessary personal comment you are usually on the back foot in any discussion or debate. I refer to the Facebook page of the proposed Oberon Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association (OSRandRA), where many of the posts are also big on imported data and opinion but short on fact.
Whereas I recognise that as an elected representative, I put myself in a position which by default will attract criticism and comment, the administrative/office staff of council should not be put in that position. They come to work every day to do their job.
It is unacceptable that any admin staff member should be singled out on Facebook by demeaning comment which is unnecessary, nasty and adds nothing to the debate.
I call on the administrator of the page, a position that comes with responsibility - who, coincidentally, is the author of the letter in question - to amend or take the offending post down.
I note that the author of the Review letter to the editor appears to be the main Oberon ratepayer contributing to the Facebook page; this could possibly be construed as the page being used as a personal venting platform.
If the proposed OSRandRA committee plan to encourage the community to join the association and wish to engage in meaningful and productive interaction with council, I would suggest they may want to more positively rethink their way forward ... or this whole exercise could be an opportunity lost.
