This evening I received the following email from my friend Roma Paton:
I believe residents of York should be aware attempts
were made by me, as a Community Representative on the council endorsed
Christmas Decoration Working Party Group, to have the Christmas tree lights
turned on in the CBD on the 1st of December.
The Christmas Decoration Working Party Group (a
separate group to the Children's Christmas Party) was responsible specifically
for the Christmas Tree in the main street, the large historic cards, bin
surrounds, laser tree lighting and the Best Decorated Business
competition.
I am happy for you to publish the email I sent to
members of the Christmas Decoration Working Party and also forwarded to all councillors
well before their last council meeting ensuring they had plenty of time to make
the decision to turn the lights on on the 1st December.
Roma
Here follows the full text of Roma’s email, sent on 26 November 2016 to Shire President
Wallace, Deputy President Smythe, Crs Ferro, Heaton, Randell, Saint and
Walters, shire employees Paul Martin, Esmeralda Harmer and Carol Littlefair,
and lay members of the Christmas Decorations Working Party:
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Re: turning on of lights
I have spent hours considering whether
to make comment or not, unsure if decisions have been finalised or if the
decision still has to go before Council to be endorsed. As no one else on the
working group appears to have expressed their opinion - if they have I have not
been copied in - I concluded I must speak up and risk being the odd one
out on the working party group.
I do not believe it is appropriate to
leave turning on the Laser tree Lights and Christmas Tree lights to the 10th
December - just 15 days before
Christmas.
An enormous amount of Ratepayers money
has been spent and that expenditure should be maximised for the enjoyment and
benefit of everyone.
Other local government areas already
have their decorations up and lights turned on.
The Lights, Historic cards and Christmas
tree have been funded by the Ratepayers for all the Ratepayers to enjoy and the
lights should be turned on on the 1st December to bring the Christmas
atmosphere into the CBD at the earliest opportunity. This would also serve
to encourage support for the local businesses who themselves have put in a huge
effort to bring some Christmas atmosphere into the shopping precinct.
The Children's Christmas party in Peace
Park is specifically for children - hence the name.
Children attend from many other towns in
the Valley. This event has become extremely popular and increasingly
crowded over the years it has been held. It is not a function Adults
without children feel comfortable attending, let alone elderly residents.
The Christmas Tree, decorations and
laser lights are for all the residents. Please reconsider the date the
lights are turned on so it is inclusive of all residents.
Kind regards
Roma
 | ||||
| York's Christmas Tree, 2016 |
If Shire President Wallace is too busy with harvesting to turn the Towns Christmas Tree lights on tonight, why doesn't he ask the Deputy Shire President - Cr. Denese Smythe to do it for him.
ReplyDeleteI am sure she would be more than happy to oblige.
perhaps the plan was to not disturb this Friday's "carols in the park" with any kind of season themed flashy lighting?
ReplyDeleteAwesome job on the christmas cards theme and the whole idea of the tree,laser lights,etc.well done to the working group, shire and the council.also thanks in advance to the organizers and sponsors of the kids christmas party,allways a hit.
ReplyDeleteThe Shire allocated a budget of $40,000 to the Christmas Decoration Working Group. This included $16,000 for the tree, $6000 for the Christmas Card Display, $99 for each laser light, and the costs of shire labour, use of a cherry picker, various decorations and banners. Money well spent.
ReplyDeleteApparently Shire President Wallace believes that the only person who thinks the Christmas lights should be turned on before Cr Heaton returns from overseas is Roma Paton, and everybody else is happy with his 'captain's pick'. He's wrong.
More than a few people are a tad dismayed by what they perceive as his steady descent into obstinacy and arrogance, and apprehensive that he seems to be treading an all-too-familiar path laid out by previous occupants of his office - a couple of whom, according to report, may have been giving him bad advice.
Isn't Cr Heaton Chair of the Christmas working group? I'd suggest that's why she is flicking the switch as opposed to "captains pick." Perhaps in her absence though it should have been delegated to someone else.
ReplyDeleteThey're trying at least. It's unfortunate it is going to be so late but compared to previous years under various grinches it's a start.
Hopefully next year they'll be turned on at a new Xmas Street party like Toodyay and Northam have each year.
Unless I'm greatly mistaken, Cr Heaton may have been a 'captain's pick' for that position, too. Shire President Wallace made it clear that members of working groups would not be allowed to elect their chairs, because if they were so allowed, meetings might turn, he said, into 'a dog's breakfast'.
DeleteA shire president is first among equals, not a dictator - unless his fellow councillors allow him to slide into the latter role, which is what seems to be happening now. It becomes plainer day by day that he is in power to advance and protect the interests of the sporting clubs and the old guard. The rest of us can go hang.
Councillor Heaton has worked incredibly hard with the Christmas committee who are nothing less than a rabble to bring together a truly astonishing result, She deserves every accolade she receives a truly marvelous job.
DeleteMembers of the working Christmas Decorations Working Group:
DeleteCr Pam Heaton (Chair)
Bernie Finestone (Deputy Chair, self nominated, personal friend of Cr Heaton)
Ken Emberson
Carol Littlefair
Alison Matheson
Roma Paton
Sandra Paskett
Dr Duncan Steed
Leigh Thompson
Cr Trish Walters
'Nothing less than a rabble' - is that really what you think of those prominent citizens of York?
Sounds like the Wallace version of the Randell Doctrine to me - 'Me and my mates are OK, but you outsiders and blow-ins can't be trusted not to turn everything into a dog's breakfast if left to your own devices'.
And by the way, Cr Heaton isn't the only member of the committee to have worked 'incredibly hard'.
The Members of the Xmas Decorations Working Group and the Shire president would have been better off putting the money and their time into planting real trees in Avon Terrace for everyone to have the benefit of for 365 days of the year and more. Instead of bitching over an artificial tree and who is going to flick the switch.
DeleteCorrections to my comment 2 December @ 18:50 -
Delete1. It appears that I misunderstood or was misinformed regarding the relationship between Ms Finestone and Cr Heaton. They are not 'personal friends'. I apologise to both ladies for suggesting otherwise and for any untoward implication attaching to my words.
2. Ms Paskett was originally a member of the working group but resigned at an early stage.
We have just had the death of a former, retired and much loved and admired York Dr, Richard Davies.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned before Town turned out, as thanks to him, on retirement,
Even our local Shire put in a (death) memorial notice for him. And rightly so.
Now I see that Professor Duncan Steed, another much admired and respected York Dr. is on the committee and one of the people, responsible for the tree and decorations.
WHY is Duncan not turning on the lights?
A man on a variety of committees, with vast experience and I would have thought that he has put a hell of a lot more into this town, than Cr. Heaton and has been around for a bit longer, as well.
Perhaps Cr. Wallace should get his priorities straight, stop being an ARSE, and TURN ON THE LIGHTS.
This is essentially for the kids - not a form of self congratulations, to a minority group of adults.
I do think some people need to get a grip. It is ratepayers money they are playing with and it is our right to see it spent/used in a reasonable manner. It's not there to try to make Council members, 'look good'. As James has said, there are a lot of other people, who have worked equally hard, and didn't wander off on an overseas holiday. They stayed to see the end of the job done.
DO IT!
Wallace kept quiet for the first two years he was on council. The only indication he was there was his hand went up and down every so often.
DeleteHow come Wallace can decide now who the next SP will be?
Doesn't Wallace like Cr. Smythe?
This is the weirdest town for Council elections and how shire presidents behave.
Someone mentioned York is like the smokey mountains and I think that person hit the nail on the head.
From what people have told me, SP Wallace decided unilaterally that Cr Heaton would be the one to turn on the Christmas tree lights, and if that meant waiting until 10 December, too bad.
DeleteIt's rumoured that SP Wallace would prefer to have Cr Heaton as his deputy, rather than the present incumbent Cr Smythe, and further, that he is grooming Cr Heaton to take over from him if he decides to call it a day at the end of next year.
I suspect that SP Wallace is a long way from being the apostle of reform many of us hoped he would be. He's shaping up as yet another bureaucratic stooge bent on keeping us in the dark about such matters as the continuing cost (nearly half a million a year) of the YRCC and how that project got into such a hopeless mess. He'd like to think that battle's over. No, old chap, it's hardly begun.
Mary2 December 2016 at 17:44 -
ReplyDeleteMary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your ego grow?
With mates support, and votes rigged,
A seat on the council is assured.
Mary, can you tell us how you know for certain Cr. Heaton worked so incredibly hard with the Christmas committee?
ReplyDeleteWere you there under a different name or did Cr. Heaton tell you?
Actually it was her husband Chris.
DeleteSo where did he get his information from? Not, I hope, from his wife. Surely Cr Heaton wouldn't describe her colleagues on the working group as 'a rabble' - would she?
DeleteWhat did Pam Heaton do?
DeleteMary2 December 2016 at 17:44 - Pam Heaton has returned to York so you should be able to ask her about the incredibly hard work she did. We look forward to you telling us all about it.
DeleteRate payer funded laser lights were on last night in Avon Park for Carols in the Park.
ReplyDeleteThe switch is off now until Ms. Heaton returns.
Un believable.
Take a walk down town and see how beautiful the shops look. There's even one in settlers courtyard. Just magical.
ReplyDeleteWell done to the businesses and thank you for making our town twinkle.
Our family went to town on Saturday night - I think I need to go to Spec Savers!
DeleteYou have wait for Messiah Heaton to arrive - she is on holidays over seas.
DeleteHas Messiah Heaton returned to York yet?
DeleteCan someone post addresses of homes decorated with lights please, so they are easy to find.
ReplyDeleteThere's a beautiful 'gentle' Christmas scene on the Northam side of Cowan Road at the end of Bouverie Road.
DeleteI took the kids down to avon park to see the lights which were not switched on.
ReplyDeleteThey were very disappointed, not that council would give a shit!
Don't blame all the Councillors, most wanted the lights turned on on the 1st December.
Deletewe spend so much time on Christmas lights up for two weeks and ignore Avon Wastes improper use of agricultural land for another rubbish recycling plant (disguised as a transport depot) at the golf club entrance - we sure have our priorities right - as for the Councillors they are so deep with the Fischer's we cant see them - this should never have been approved - York will be able to put at the entrance to town a giant wheelly bin (forget a prawn of pineapple or sheep) just a lovely wheelly bin - York home of the Fishers tip (transport depot soon to be tip). If you could get up the road dodging all their trucks and the wheat trucks and the fertilizer trucks and every other damn truck you would be able to take a photo of the giant wheelly bin - and the tip but allow an hour it takes 15 mins to go up the hill following all the trucks. Its at at the entrance to the golf club - doesn't our new CEO understand this belongs in an Industrial area???? Show some leadership follow the planning rules STOP the depot (tip) whatever it is or will be, put it back to where it should be in the industrial area or over where the tip is now - plenty of land there!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a governance issue - responsibility rests with the Shire Council, not the CEO.
DeleteIt's time our council revised the Town Planning Scheme to exclude the SA uses that would have allowed SITA's tip if the company hadn't pulled out and that open the door to other industrial type horrors.
Please communicate your views directly and individually to SP Wallace and the other councillors. As I've said before, nothing published here 'reaches' the Shire of York. I know this because Cr Ferro told me so.
Could I suggest people post on the blog copies of the emails they send to Wallace regarding the issue of Fishers using agricultural land for 'other use' - cc all councillors. That way he cannot claim there's just minority of whinging residents.
DeleteFrom experience you need to tackle this individually as well as collectively, DO NOT rely on someone else to fight it for you. Sure, rally people to stand with you on this but please do not depend on someone else to write the letters etc.. Unless you are prepared to stand up and lead the battle you may as well not bother. Better to have 5 people fighting, standing shoulder to shoulder, than expecting one person to do it alone as a spoke person for a group.
You people out at Ashworth road know the impact it will have on you personally - fight it from the heart. You need to also attend the Shire meetings, do presentations to Councillors, write letters to the paper.
People may not know - the AVRA group were dismissed as 3rd party interveners at the SAT.
This meant they had no input or voice to stop the Landfill. They may claim they stopped it but they didn't.
Kay and Robyn Davies stopped the Landfill going ahead. They were the last two standing at the SAT fighting off SITA. They fought it every inch of the way.
If we had relied totally on the AVRA group we would now have the tip.
It is not going to be easy but neither was the fight to stop the landfill.
You all have rights - use them!
thanks James good point but is there any one else out there that agrees if so lets do something about it Avon Waste has another proposal up on the Shire's planning section of the web site for the Council for response by late December - remember last time it was scheduled at the first council meeting at Greenhills, this time its right on Christmas - tell me they aren't still trying to push this through under the radar - the Councillors don't control the web site and timing of these things - it is the administration and the Councillors we should do as you have said and swamp the Councillors in outrage and protest to this underhanded push for a tip (alias transport depot) its not right for our town. If we don't stop it now its there forever a tip at our doorstep (alias transport depot, just so we all don't know what there up to). Nothings changed in this town, same old same old. watch Wallace, heaton and Randall and Smythe all fall into line with this one again. Remember this was the issue that Randall went on his love rant about the Fishers at the Council meeting and wallace shut down one of the residents - better form than the old Boyle and Hooper show.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4 December 14:47, as with State government, the administrative arm of government (executive) make the decisions and the elected arm is merely the perfunctory endorsement of those decisions, you could say puppets.
DeleteIt matters not one iota what we the public want, it's now down to the dream team.
One striking example of executive decision making and subsequent elected member approval is the wreck centre, the majority of ratepayers never wanted such a grandiose development, they certainly had no appetite for a municipally owned and operated pub, but did the powers that be listen!
Now the decision is to be made by the latest addition to the dream team, the Executive Manager Corporate and Community Services, Ms Suzie Haslehurst, as if she has any comprehension of public feeling.
Council has the mandate, if it chooses, to direct the administrative arm via the CEO to offload the wreck centre, will it is a different story. President Wallace stood on that very platform, that he was going to reform the YRCC, three years on and we're in exactly the same boat and after paying overheads, one more million out of pocket.
So Anonymous 4 December 14:47, it's no good hoping Council will fulfill its role, so it's down to members of the public to lobby the new CEO.
Anonymous4 December 2016 at 16:23 - You are correct. Wallace's promises were made just to get votes. He knew how the people felt about the wreck centre and used it to get onto council by making promises he has not kept.
DeleteBoyle and Scott did the same thing when they promised to sack Ray Hooper if they got in. They both broke that promise.
We only got rid of Ray Hooper when he was cornered after writing a vile letter to a resident and the Fitz Gerald Report surfaced for 30 seconds, until Boyle, Hooper and Duperouzel tried to bury it. Fortunately, 'someone' posted it on the internet for the world to read.
Some current councillors also made promises they haven't kept. You cannot trust them to keep their word, even if they promise to support you on this.
For years I have watched 'unpalatable' items pushed through at Greenhills and December meetings. Avon Waste turned up at Greenhills with a rent-a-crowd to make sure they got what they wanted. Wallace rudely refused to allow a member of the public to speak - shut down him down in an instant but allowed Randell to dribble for as long as he wanted to put the case for his friends and the depot.
That Greenhills meeting was the first indication Wallace is cut from the same cloth as Boyle and Hooper.
Every resident of Ashworth Road needs to attend the Shire meetings. They need to put their case to the CEO and his staff - they need to her your side. Don't assume the administration is run in the same manner as when Ray Hooper was the dictator.
Don't wait for someone else to fight the battle. Don't send in a spokesperson - gather as many people as you can who support you and fill the council chamber -do what Avon Waste did! Let councillors know you mean business.
Find out what skills you have amongst yourselves and what contacts you all have and use them.
For the record, at the 11th hour of the Landfill fight one York resident used their expertise and own money, filmed for hours and created a hard hitting you tube to fight the Landfill. https://youtu.be/d6q8tCvr_GQ
The link to this was sent to every Councillor in towns that access water from the Mundaring Weir.
Are residents of Ashworth Road and others united with them in opposition to industrial ventures in the Agricultural Zone prepared to argue the point in a deputation to Council?
ReplyDeleteThat could be one way of getting councillors as well as officers to understand the need for caution when dealing with SA applications. In the past, councillors slavishly followed 'officer recommendations', i.e. what CEO Hooper and his gnomes said they should do. That sort of thing doesn't have to happen any longer.
Councillors don't control the Shire website, but they do have the power to challenge what appears on it as well as to reject or amend officer recommendations.
I share your anxieties about certain councillors. As the French say, plus ca change...I'm afraid we got the government we deserve.
Does anyone know if Cr. Heaton travelled to Jerusalem? Their Christmas tree lights were turned on on Monday night.
ReplyDelete