WAY back in March 1998 I had a letter published in your paper concerning the wisecracking and bad behaviour of councillors who treated their responsibilities with contempt. Unfortunately, although some faces have changed, the arrogance, rudeness and contempt has not.

At Tuesday night’s meeting of council, Mayor Watson in the chair was an abject failure at controlling the unruly mob. Councillors cracked jokes across other councillors speaking; had private chats; left their chairs to deliver messages to other councillors or to talk to the Press gallery and generally behaved – as they regularly do – like a bunch of unruly schoolboys. Surely Council’s Code of Conduct covers meeting behaviour too? Why does not Mayor Watson use his authority to quell this disrespectful carry-on? Is it because most of them are part of his control group in council? Why should any of them be re-elected if this is their attitude?

I would urge anyone concerned about democracy in Shoalhaven to attend the next council meeting – the last before the election – and see for themselves how it really is.

Note – I do not include Councillors Rudd, Green or Finkernagel in my complaint and Councillor Bates was absent.

B. Woodney,

Kangaroo Valley.