An important matters was raised –  councillor Lisa Mahood has taken up employment in Melbourne and is to leave this area.

When asked the mayor could not confirm where she will reside nor that she will cease to be a councillor. We have reliable information to the effect she expects to remain on council committing only a very small time in our city each month, if at all.

Can someone explain how a councillor can reasonably represent the residents, business owners and primary producers from over 350 km away? 

Ratepayers also still await the travel report from Cr Mahood and the chief executive, Patience Harrington, which was noted in Border Mail report of March 17 as being tabled within "a month or two".

Four plus months have elapsed and no report for us to view. Is it classified information or has it fallen under the table?

IT appears The Border Mail (and Prime) can't find any other cleric than Fr Peter MacLeod-Miller to put in our faces. 

While his plethora of beliefs may appeal to the Border Mail, there are other quiet and dedicated priests, pastors and Buddhist and Hindu leaders who are rarely interviewed or have their opinions published. 

Uniting care feeds hundreds on the border with food gleened from our supermarkets. St Vincent de Paul and Salvos provide help to provide housing for thousands on the Border every year.

I can see one of the most dangerous places in the world is standing between Fr Peter and a camera. A little balance would be appreciated.

PERSONALLY, I think politicians should pay for their families on any trips not the taxpayer.

As a matter of fact, families really shouldn't be involved in politics, it could be construed as a form of indoctrination, especially where young children are concerned.

Let them grow up and make up their own minds instead of brainwashing them while they are young. That is only my opinion, I'm sure there are plenty of others.

I AM a lover of public transport, in particular Rail Systems and passenger trains. Quite often I watch our local NE passenger train pass through stations.

Sadly this train looks run down and neglected, the paint looks old and un-washed, the windows are dirty every time I see it. The reliability of this service has been a disgrace and little wonder our politicians who grandstand on this issue don’t even appear to notice the dirty and run down appearance of the carriages.

Privatisation of our Public Transport System in Victoria by Jeff Kennett was professed by him as a winner that would see efficiency and profitability within five years.

This fallacy still cost Victorian taxpayers billions of dollars in subsidies every year?

The failure of this service sits squarely with Cathy McGowan, Sophie Mirabella, Tim McCurdy, Bill Tilley and others. The least they could do is get out with a bucket of soap and water and wash the train.

Add increased crime rates, increased domestic violence, record youth unemployment, massive cuts in full time jobs in particular public service jobs and rapidly growing poverty in the NE region, what you get is political failure.

At least go and wash our train and make yourselves useful.