You’re not listening
Wodonga Council has voted not to live stream their meetings. Of course they have.
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The “secret society” aka Wodonga Council does what it likes, ghosting “consulting” the public, ratepayers and local business owners under so-called public meetings where they pretend to listen and think those who speak to them are whingers.
This council has about the same transparency as a lead brick.
Anna Speedie stated: “If we didn’t want people to know what we do then we wouldn’t be out talking to our community from 7am to 9pm nearly every day for the last two months.”
Maybe the mayor should have listened more closely at the farcical Wodonga traders information meeting held recently where the following was witnessed.
The complete lack of knowledge about the actual businesses in this precinct from some of the City of Wodonga employees was an embarrassment.
Clearly you need to walk the streets to know who trades and pays rates in the city.
CEO Patience Harrington was asked about parking during this massive disruption and they advised there would be 200 parking places at the Woolworths site and 600 at the Mann site.
Such statements assume both will be completed by September.
In any case, this response is a rubbish answer as the north part of High Street will have no direct pedestrian access to the Mann centre.
All access will be from Elgin Boulevard and possibly Hovell Street.
So, who would want to park in the Mann Centre and then walk a very long distance to shop with the traders in High Street?
The council engineer, himself bereft of local trader knowledge, was asked about the concrete wall of the Mann centre fronting High street and its ugliness.
The advisement was that landscaping would be done when “stage 2” was completed. Given the farcical delays in this development even getting to where it is now it is probable most visitors to Wodonga will see an ugly concrete wall and nothing more for some years.
The bullet points on “business support” in the council briefing are so flimsy and general in nature that the traders who will be so badly affected have every right to be concerned about their long-term business prospects.
Nothing tangible whatsoever is offered in support.
Not once since the years of road works began has my wife’s business, or any other shop north of the old railway line, been visited by a member of council to see how they were going, to discuss the challenges they were facing or how council may really provide support.
Paul Upton, Wodonga
Get serious on drugs
The issues at the West Coast Eagles football club have been obvious for years and now it is hitting the headlines. Why was it not explored many years ago? It was never going to go away. The drug use was connected to evil Northbridge elements and as always there are the questions of where did you get the drugs, who supplied you with them.
These evil underworld figures have destroyed many lives and have become part of many clubs. Drug dealers are never revealed and they should be, or you are out of the game.
Bikies in many locations make a living out selling drugs to our children. Ban colours in pubs, clubs and retail areas.
Drug use is a sickness for sure, but caused by evil crooks. It is time for drug testing far and wide. Why would a person want a drug user as the teacher of their children or a drug user handling their investments or a politician who uses drugs? These are just a few examples.
Consequences must be connected to drug use and losing ones passport should be one.