LAST month’s Herald letter from the Frayne family claiming to represent a silent majority needs some clarification for the silent minority.
The letter’s claim about the “dedication of our volunteer councillors” is not correct.
All councillors in WA – except those who opt out – receive a monthly payment.
Lists of payments published online show that the Toodyay Shire President gets paid $3450 a month, the Deputy President gets paid $1599 a month and the remaining seven councillors each get paid $1180 a month.
So, as anyone can see, there are no “volunteer councillors” in Toodyay.
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The letter also said “mistakes are sometimes made but may be remedied at subsequent meetings”.
Will the silent majority please explain how councillors voted 5-4 at their April meeting not to offer the CEO a new contract, then voted 6-2 a month later to keep him on for another year?
Then they voted 6-1 in June to give him a 2.5 per cent pay rise.
As this was all done behind closed doors will the silent majority please tell the silent minority how this happened?
And while they work that out, can they please also tell the silent minority why $20,800 was added to the CEO’s base salary as an incentive to stay in Toodyay?
The silent minority cannot understand why somebody already being paid nearly $1000 a day needs an extra financial incentive to live in Toodyay.
Is it any wonder that – as stated in last month’s letter – the CEO has put his roots down here?
I am positive that anybody having their mortgage paid by ratepayers would be more than happy to live anywhere.
Will the silent majority also please inform the silent minority what has been the Shire CEO’s biggest achievement in the seven years he has been in the job?
Please don’t mention the new swimming pool because that has been on the drawing board for more than 40 years.
If it wasn’t for last year’s Canberra cash splash to help get local Liberal member and Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter re-elected, we might still be waiting.
All the silent minority have seen is shire staff increases year-in year-out, and nothing concrete to show for where ratepayers’ money is going except on legal fees and employment agency costs.
I am sure the silent majority will say that is OK and that the silent minority is just being negative again.
Graeme Buchanan
Toodyay
