I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by Mr Graham Jolly, (Please Explain, Cr Ross, Pakenham Gazette Opinion, 25 November 2015), who wrote to express the blatant hypocrisy of Cr Collin Ross complaining about the amount of money the council spends on alcohol, whist being the most expensive councillor to keep!
I too had to laugh when I saw Cr Ross on the front page of the Gazette a couple of weeks ago (Booze Runs Free, 18 November 2015) complaining about council spending a whopping $6000 on alcohol, while forgetting to tell us that over the same period of time he cost ratepayers over $8000 just in travel expenses.
And that’s without taking to account the amounts he has been reimbursed for self-education expenses.
Now, no reasonable person would disagree that any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by councillors in the performance of their council duties should be reimbursed. That’s just common sense.
However, it seems Cr Ross should perhaps explain why his expenses are as much as double, or more, of other Central Ward councillors.
I did ask that question of Cr Ross more than two years ago, via this publication, but have never received an answer.
A closer examination of some of Cr Ross’s expenses show that much of this travel is outside of Central Ward, which would make sense but, I wonder, are the other ward councillors so derelict in their duties, that Cr Ross has to constantly travel into their wards to attend to “resident issues”, as claimed?
I’ve no doubt Cr Ross’s diaries would be available to ratepayers to show which residents and which issues were addressed on virtually weekly expeditions to Emerald or Gembrook or, indeed, anywhere else.
I also venture that none of these sorts of expenses were incurred at the same time he was busy campaigning during the last Victorian state election in the seat of Gembrook?
While Cr Ross makes a lot of noise about opposing every budget and rate rise, he does neglect to tell us he is by far the most expensive councillor to keep.
Don’t be fooled, his appearance on the front page of The Gazette is nothing more than a campaign launch for the 2016 council elections.
Mark Guinane,
Pakenham.
