This quote in The Daily Examiner on 4th September of Andrew Baker, Clarence Valley councillor-elect, all but passed unnoticed until an acquaintance put it under our noses yesterday.
"Divisiveness within council is even evident in the seating arrangements in the council chambers of Grafton and Maclean where the mayor and council managers sit separately to the councillors. Until all councillors and management can sit together at the same table, at the same eye-level, no team approach to council governance is possible."
We hooted with laughter at the thought of the very expensive carpentry required to bring the mayor and general manager down a few notches to councillor height, making them almost impossible to see properly from the visitor gallery seats.
What turns this desire to take a chainsaw to council's architecture into the truly absurd is the fact that meetings are not always held in the same place or in the same rooms and sometimes it's a case of generic tables and plastic chairs for councillors, management and visitors alike.
Council can't get more democratic that that!
Lower Clarence wags are suggesting that door heights in all council chambers should be increased at the same time – so that inflated egos can pass though without bending those swollen heads.
Anony-mice
Yamba
* Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at gmail dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.
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