Touchy subject

The recent summer edition of the Citynews shows that the new mayor and most other councillors are not really in touch with important issues impacting on Casey residents.
Mayor Geoff Ablett has offered no strategy for promoting business development in the municipality.
What, for example, will council do about the high cost of commercial property leasing in Casey? Nothing.
Mayor Ablett, how can anyone afford to open or maintain a business in Casey when shopping centre managers and owners are allowed to demand unconscionable prices for leasing space and property in this city?
For example, the Endeavour Hills Shopping Centre agents are asking $80,000p.a. for leasing only 70 square meters of space (the former Pastry Jacks site).
Such rental/leasing prices are not sustainable for any business person.
Moreover, anyone taking up this option would have to pay staff under award wage rates to try and be viable.
Council should set up a committee to enquire into and report on this issue.
Further, the City of Casey also provides ratepayers with very limited options at Public Question Time.
Transparency and accountability in Casey would be advanced if ratepayers were allowed to read out their own questions, and second question with the option of follow up questions, during Public Question Time in future.
At present, Public Question Time is dominated by time provided for the mayor and council officials to answer questions, from ratepayers, read out only by council staff and answered by the mayor or an approved public official.
Public Question Time on council, mayor Geoff Ablett, needs to be more interactive and democratic in future.
But perhaps the mayor and all our councillors prefer to continue with an out-of-date autocratic management model that provides Casey ratepayers with less transparency in local government?
Mayor Geoff Ablett what action will you, the Deputy Mayor Amanda Stapleton and council now take on these key issues?
John Glazebrook,
Endeavour Hills.