WODONGA’S mayor has been accused of failing to be impartial or fair with ratepayers after mistakenly sending an email to a citizen upset at the council’s plans for Hunchback Hill.
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Anna Speedie thought she had emailed her council’s acting chief executive Leon Schultz on Friday September 16, but instead of arriving in his inbox it went to the frustrated woman.
Cr Speedie wrote an answer should be prepared but not sent until the return of the council’s chief executive Patience Harrington “lest she think she can divide and conquer?!”.
“Thinking if we can get out Monday during the day she may not grandstand at Cr (sic) meeting Monday night?” Cr Speedie added.
Spokesman for the Save Hunchback Hill lobby group Dan Humpage was irked by the email and Cr Speedie’s comments at last week’s council meeting blasting disorder over the hill plan.
“That shows she’s failing to be impartial or fair with ratepayers,” Mr Humpage said.
“They didn’t want her grandstanding at the council meeting.
“They have colluded and planned a strategy to introduce those speeches discrediting us and labelling us un-Australian and being involved in criminal activities.
“We find it highly offensive and we want her to retract that or apologise.”
Cr Speedie said she was upset when she wrote the email because it came at the end of a week where councillors and staff had been abused over Hunchback Hill plans.
“I was pretty cranky when I wrote the email and you do things in haste,” Cr Speedie said.
“I sent her an email (later) and said I was sorry, I was doing three things at the one time and was not successful.
“She did have a thorough and full response from Patience Harrington.”
Cr Speedie said she stood by her criticism of the “abhorrent” behaviour of those objecting particularly to mountain biking on Hunchback Hill.
“I personally experienced it, to have someone nearly hit me in the face and stand over me and swear like a sailor is not acceptable,” she said of an incident at a public meeting discussing the plan.
Mr Humpage said he represented 60 people and his group had a code of conduct which did not tolerate members behaving in an abusive manner, including swearing.
Cr Speedie said some incidents of abuse had been reported to police.
