Port Phillip has a vibrant café culture all year round, but nothing enlivens our café’s more than a Local Government election.
For the past few weeks our cafes have been buzzing as Councillors, Council candidates, and wannabe 10th Councillors all meet to discuss tactics, raise issues, and when the meeting reaches the business end, stab those not present in the back. In a friendly, nothing personal, kind of way of course.
Nothing gets these participants more excited that a discussion over preferences, although many an unsuspecting café patron on the next table has walked away with completely the wrong idea after eavesdropping on a 30-minute conversation between candidates about swapping number twos.
Preferences can make or break a candidate’s campaign. Already this election we have seen both red and green court teal, while purple and blue hold their noses and hold hands. We have seen yellow play footsies with pink and red, while rejecting advances from green and purple. Nothing is ever black and white in Local Government elections.
The Local Government campaign period is a target rich environment for candidates looking for opportunities to find fault with current Council services and perceived Council failings, with many making a video, and then posting it to Facebook to espouse their Councillor credentials to their potential future constituency. However, these videos can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. A hit would be finding a blocked drain directly across the road from town hall. A big 10/10 for you Dickie.
A miss? Well, let’s just say standing next to an electrical sub-station (which is a privately owned State utility) at a junction of two major roads (both declared roads also making them a State responsibility), pointing out some weeds and graffiti, and then suggesting Council use its limited resources to clean up these State and privately owned assets isn’t going to help you achieve that immediate rate freeze you are also campaigning for. 4/10.
Further to last weeks revelation of a current candidate being banned from attending Council meetings, or contacting Councillors and Council officers, it turns out he isn’t the only one to have had their access to Town Hall restricted in recent times. This week I was reminded that the husband of another candidate also spent 6 months in the Town Hall naughty corner. Let’s hope his email etiquette improves significantly should his wife be successful in these upcoming elections.
Written and Authorised by A. Bond. 6 Victoria St, St Kilda
