The gloves are off in the mayoral race.
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An anonymous note slipped under the door, illegal inner city parking, a high profile former sports star, a feisty letter to the editor, a hotly contested mayoral contest ... it's all there.
On page 8 of Friday's Mercury, letter writer Andrea Freeman accuses mayoral candidate Brian Burke of parking illegally out front of his coffee shop in Church Street, flaunting the one-hour park zone - and says he has been doing so for years.
It comes a couple of days after an anonymous note was slipped under The Mercury's front door making similar claims, although not naming Burke directly, merely referring to him as a Church Street coffee shop owner. It was signed off with "Remember you can bet your last coffee bean on the Penfold Team".
The Mercury contacted fellow mayoral candidate Philip Penfold on Thursday. He denies any involvement in the matter.
"They’ve got me, I'm guilty as sin, no doubt about it," Mr Burke admitted on Thursday.
"I get there at 4.30am, park out front, and I come and go through the day. But sometimes I park there for extended periods for sure. I've rarely been booked, so I've never felt the need to park elsewhere.
"I find it funny that I've been parking there for years and it has never been mentioned before. Now that the mayoral race is on it is suddenly an issue.
"In my defence, I would point out that I'm not the only one in central Maitland who parks illegally. Most of the three-hour zones aren't policed due to the lack of parking availability in the city centre. But yes, I'm guilty."
Mr Burke, who is running as an independent, claims the parking issue shows that his opponents are concerned about his chances. And like the old footballer he is, he clearly can still spot an opening.
"The fact this is brought up shows that the city centre must be thriving since The Levee development," he said. "It means people are back in the city centre and all the businesses are reflecting that confidence.
"But obviously someone is trying to smear me. I'll keep talking up the issues, I don't want to get dirty."
The parking issue has become a hot topic in the mayoral contest, with a number of candidates pitching their own solutions to the problem.
Mr Burke’s parking habits first came to The Mercury’s attention on Sunday, after the anonymous letter was slipped under the door.
When Mr Penfold was contacted to see what he knew of both the initial letter and the subsequent letter to the editor, he said he was in the dark on both.
"I certainly don't know anything about either letter. And where Brian Burke parks is up to him.
“I have no issues with Brian Burke or his parking."
