Sunday 31 August 2008

So you think you can run a council.....(4)

Oh dear, the 2008 Clarence Valley local government election is shaping up to be wall-to-wall heartburn for North Coast Voices.

In a field of predominately first-time or previously unsuccessful candidates, Liza Bloomer of Grafton stands out as almost as bad as it gets with a 2 out of 10 on my ballot meter.

Not only did she burble out nothing but buzz words during the Yamba Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates night last week - now I discover two linked election campaign websites maintained by Ms. Bloomer which have the hide to not only contain very limited contact details, but also attempt to prohibit contact if we were to have our own telephone numbers (silent or otherwise) legitimately withheld.

Here is
what Liza says:
Contact Liza via email:
liza.bloomer@gmail.com or call her on: 0407 29 77 64 (withheld numbers will not be answered).

As Ms. Bloomer has seen fit to give out the mobile number attached to her business, here is the address published on her business website: 6 Queen St, Grafton, NSW, 2460, Australia.

Now if anyone has concerns about any printed election material derived from the two campaign websites and feel that this breaches the
advertising rules (clauses 5 & 10 ) set out at by the NSW Electoral Commission, they will at least have one physical address to which they can refer.

It's all about political accountability, Elizabeth Anne.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Clarencegirl,

I'd just like to clarify a couple of points you've raised in your blog. First, I have openly given a contact number - my personal mobile number, which I also use for my business. I have stated that I won't answer witheld/silent numbers on my website as I have had nuisance calls over time from witheld numbers and therefore would prefer that I have access to callers numbers just as they have access to mine. I think that is fair. I guess I can take the message regarding witheld numbers from my site and just not answer those calls. But I prefer to let people know why I may not be answering their call.

You have also raised the legality of my website and blog. It is only once the information on either site is printed that it must be authorised. I have not and will not authorise anybody to print from the site.

Thanks for pointing out how bad I was at the meet the candidates meeting in Yamba. You're right, I was shocking. I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect, but I like to believe I always learn from my mistakes. And really, did I use any more buzz words than many of the other candidates?

I must defend myself here though. I really believe in what I said on the evening and will continue to use words like unity, community, environment, economic development and sustainability. They are words that communicate the issues and ideals that I believe are important.

Do I know you Clarencegirl? Your nom de plume is a bit like a witheld number. I'd be very keen to meet and talk to you about what you think a councillor needs to be and achieve. Maybe I can talk you around to voting for me.

Anonymous said...

Hello,

The election is over and who knows, maybe your negative post about me really influenced the electorate, however the election is all done and dusted now, and I would really appreciate if you would get rid of the negative post regarding my bid for council.

The post may have achieved what it was meant to, but I think it would be fair to remove the negative comments about myself now that I am no longer running for public office.

Thanks in anticipation, Liza