INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
I write with regard to the jibes made by the Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchison, in the Mercury story of Monday March 27 regarding my efforts to urge the RMS for a plan of action to fix the afternoon queues on the New England Highway at the Maitland station roundabout.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In my opinion she is the last person who should use the term “masquerading as an Independent”.
The word “masquerading” more aptly applies to her running in the 2008 Maitland City Council elections as an undeclared candidate against other endorsed Labor candidates for mayor and for council.
I believe she was a relatively unknown member of the Labor party at that time.
The fact is that the Liberal party is far less dogmatic than the Labor party with regard to its members not requiring endorsement to run for council.
In the 17 years that I have been on Maitland council, I have never received any instructions from the Liberal Party with regard to council.
Also, I have never said that flooding at Testers Hollow is less important than the afternoon queueing at the station roundabout.
Some of the options to fix the flooding at Testers Hollow are expensive and the studies for an alternate flood-free route are not completed.
I am hoping that a solution for the roundabout queueing can be quickly implemented.
Cr Bob Geoghegan, East Maitland
PRAISE FOR MRAG
My wife and I recently visited Maitland Regional Art Gallery to view the Chinese Scrolls but were sadly informed that we had been misinformed about the exhibition’s dates and it had now closed.
For many galleries that would have been the end of that, but not the MRAG.
The ladies at the reception desk arranged for Cherryl Farrell (Collection Management Curator) to come and speak with us.
Cherryl then proceeded to retrieve and re-hang three large and wonderful pieces.
She also unrolled another long scroll for us to examine, all the while giving an informative commentary.
Congratulations and many thanks to the staff at the MRAG.
The residents of Maitland and surrounding areas are truly fortunate in having such a fine art gallery staffed by such wonderful people.
Kel Merriman, East Gresford
PRIORITY PARKING
No one can deny or argue that business of any kind translates into economic growth by creating employment and prosperity.
Unfortunately if it's not well thought and meticulously planned, it can fail to accommodate the influx of people that new developments/businesses bring.
The parking shortage in Maitland CBD has been a problem for a long time and it's bound to get worse with the new businesses opening in the Levee.
According to Mayor Peter Blackmore, requests for additional parking in the CBD are a sign businesses are doing well - and it's true!
But how does the lack of parking space attract more people to shop there? And what about the workers being asked to shift their vehicles after three hours (as some decision-makers have suggested) and go elsewhere? If there are no free parking spots for the shoppers, there aren't any for the workers, either.
Moving forward, council will need to better evaluate every development submission before approving it, which still won’t provide a solution to the problem any time soon.
It's not fair that workers of retail and hospitality are treated as second-class citizens, even denied the right for a safe, convenient spot to park their cars. I'm sure that councillors and their employees are provided with a parking spot.