It is with great interest that I have been reading the Letter to the Editor pages over the last month or more.
There is grave concern being expressed by a number of ratepayers as to the real cost of the City Partners scheme. It is fundamental for Council to be independent and transparent, not only must this happen but it must be seen to happen beyond any doubt whatsoever.
If this is not the case then the elected Councillors (according to Bill Faulkner are responsible for Governance) and senior officials must be seen to confirm, verify and verify again that this is so. I am sure the Councillors in attendance at the 'Confidential meeting(s)” will be well aware of what was presented; both said and done. My questions of Council and in particular the Councillors are: -
1: A recording of that meeting would without doubt immediately clarify the questions raised to date, so where is the tape?
2: The Councillors would be able to verify the comments in the paper to date as being 'true and correct”, so why aren't they speaking up? Surely there is at least one of you with the intestinal fortitude to stand up in the interests of the ratepayers
3: Why should ratepayers be subjected to this abysmal level of governance and conduct?
4: Why is it that Councillors are not ensuring that all is above board and transparent?
In conclusion; Councillors are voted in to look after the ratepayer's best interests, not their own personal agendas.
Let's see how long they take to get to the truth, to the bottom of this one and most importantly who is going to wear the egg splattering now that Evans is not there to stir the pot and seek the answers. It seems our elected representatives have typically 'got memory loss” as to why the other ratepayers put them there.
Perhaps now it is becoming clear about what the Voter Empowerment advertisements last year were really about.

Bruce Beckett,
Bethlehem.