Walk a mile in my shoes….
Sue Brooks August 29th, 2010
When I left Teachers College in Melbourne many, many years ago now and actually started teaching a revelation occurred. All the hours of study and all my perceptions of what being a teacher entailed quickly took flight. Nothing I had previously experienced equalled the challenges of being in charge of approx 20 little human beings day in and day out. I quickly learned that the only way to really understand what any job actually entails is to experience it first hand. My ideas of teaching changed yet again when I had children of my own.
It is my own personal experience that has made me critical of too much theoretical teaching (ala University etc) at the expense of hands on ‘work experience’. No one truly has the right to comment about a policemans job, a nurses job or a groundsmens job etc unless one takes some time and spends time ‘on the job’. It is so easy to criticise from afar and so easy to assume that we know what employees should be doing without having a real understanding of their working life.
So it comes as a simple and straightforward sadness to me that so many people think I’m failing at my job. Apparently as the Chronicle blog says I am arrogant and ‘from another planet’ among other things. Well the comments were made in general about Council but Council is me so I take the comments personally.
The Chronicle’s latest front page story about Councillors financial entitlements has brought forth a torrent of anti Council sentiment. I just wish that the persons who are anonymously expressing such disgust and unhappiness with me (as representative of Council) and with how I perform my duties would come and spend a day with me. If not a day then maybe a couple of hours.
My job as a Councillor is at times overwhelmingly pleasant and straightforward but it can also be tiring and depressing. It is sometimes tiring and depressing because I would like to achieve more. Why can’t I ensure every road is sealed, every park mown, every drain working well, every business profitable and every rate payer satisfied? Why can’t we do what the residents tell me that they want without it costing more and more each year? I expect to achieve results for our region and our community and even though I believe we have achieved much there is always more to do and more to fix and more to improve. And I am but one of a group of eleven and I don’t always get what I want …. but that is to be expected in a democratic system and I accept this readily.
But I want to thank our Director Organisational Services Ms Lisa Desmond. Lisa has been doing exactly what more bosses should do. She is spending time on the job. She has visited the dog pound and aided the staff to clean out the kennels. She has operated a road roller and pruned the roses in the rose garden at Maryborough. Lisa is finding out what exactly our staff do each and every day. I’d also like to thank all our staff as I know you work hard and that you strive to do better and better each and every day. I’d like to thank our CEO as he expects high standards and is driving change through a complex time of merger. Yes he may have said we need rates at 20% but he only ever used this as an example of what rate rise we would require to do and service all of our communities expectations. Our CEO is well aware that any large increase in rates is unaffordable for our community and it is he and his team that have managed to achieve more for less.
But many of you don’t agree with my version of our Council so I ask you this. If you are unhappy with me or with Council please contact me and give me your reasons why. Just generally saying ‘Council stinks’ doesn’t do anything to help improve Council so I ask you to tell us what we are doing wrong and then to please listen to our responses. The saying that ‘we can’t please all the people all the time’ is true. What one person wants and needs another person doesn’t so for all of us on Council it is a balancing act of trying to meet the needs of the majority of you all. I will continue to try as hard as I can to properly represent you and to make decisions that I believe our in the wider community interest. My skin has thickened up and while the criticism stings it doesn’t penetrate too deeply and I am still determined to work hard so…. over to you. How can we do better and what are we doing wrong?
- Council related issues
- Comments(18)
My ‘not really informed’ opinion is that a lot of the Council’s woes are as a result of the almagamation which State Government forced upon us. That is, from a Hervey Bay viewpoint.
With a big rate base and population growth Hervey Bay stood a better chance before we were lumbered with supporting, to a large degree, our under funded smaller neighbours. The same applies of course to all the other amalgamations in Queensland. The State Government in it’s wisdom. or should we say cunning, divested itself of responsibility by shoving that responsibility on to us. Helping ones impoverished neighbour is all very fine and laudable. But it costs. Local Government should be, by definition , “local” and the responsibility for assisting the more rural councils of what were once called ‘shires’ should be borne by all the people of Queensland and not just by the geographically adjacent slightly bigger country towns.
As regards remuneration of councillors for what is doubtless nowadays an exacting job ( if done properly !) they certainly deserve sensible pay according to the hours worked.
What sticks in the throats of ratepayers is that, firstly, they appear to be able to set their own rates at will – correct me if that is wrong – and many councillors, and salaried senior staff in many places, not necessarily Hervey Bay, ( oops, ‘Fraser Coast’) seem to enjoy fringe benefits of doubtful worth. ‘Study tours’ to exotic places to learn about landfill rubbish disposal or effluent treatment for example. What cannot be learned nowadays on the internet ? Do their spouses and staff need to accompany them ? Or are they just emulating the politicians and public servants of George Street and Canberra in grabbing a trip whilst they can . Ego tripping and personal aggrandisement by erecting useless ‘entry gateways’ is another waste of ratepayer funds. They serve no purpose. No tourist comes once, or again, to any place because it has a fabulous advertisement at its boundaries. Without them Council might be able to seal another pot hole or two, or provide a footpath so walkers need not walk in the gutter to avoid being run over. Having said all of which, I think that Sue’s comments are very appropriate and I commend her for providing us whingers with a forum.
This “offer” for ratepayers to follow you around for a day – is this a paid position, or do you expect them to help you do your job for a day for free? Is this a bit like the unpaid “citizens committee” to assist the House of Reps that Julia Gillard was proposing during her failed election campaign?
And why is this offer ONLY open to those “anonymous” posters to the Chronicle, and not to other ratepayers? Shirley to be fair, this job (whether paid or unpaid) should be properly advertised and open to all. You Do believe in equal opportunities for all, don’t you Sue?
Also, in an attempt to offer balance, wouldn’t it be a good idea to also offer this opportunity to some ratepayers who DO think that you are doing a fine job.
Sue – if you don’t understand what is going wrong by now – you don’t deserve to be told.
I am so sorry Sue that you are at a point where you have to write “Walk a mile in my shoes”. You shouldn’t have to write that or feel that way. There is a program on telly, not sure of it’s name, but it is where the boss actually goes out into the field and works anonymously alongside their employees. It is an eyeopener for a lot of bosses and your right, maybe some of these “community minded citizens” who wish to write poison pen letters to the Chronicle should spend a day with a Councilor to see just what they accomplish in one day! These same people are the ones who sit back on their backsides and complain but won’t get off their butts to do anything. Are these the same people who volunteer their time to charities or comminity projects, I don’t think so!
You can’t have your cake and eat it too, you can’t have EVERY street paved and gleaming pathways installed and not increase rates. I wonder what planet these people are from if they think that you can get these things done without money. Maybe they should write to Ms Gillard and ask for some more spending money for our Council, I know what she would do with their letters. Don’t let it get to you, your a good councillor who cares about our community and environment. Keep up the good work and pretend your a duck, let it run off your back!
Jenni,
Sad to say I “don’t understand what is going wrong” so perhaps you could tell me?
Correct me if I am wrong, but at the last election no new councillors were elected!!
The electorate chose those tried and true councillors with a track record, having
done so, many in the electorate have whinged about the council ever since!!
So please tell me Jenni, ‘what is gonig wrong”?
Sadman
Who are you Sadman, you are also Johangel but are you Sue? Or are you a number of people using the same tag? And how many other tags do you have? You have been around for a very long time pushing and pulling and attacking people behind the scenes. You are a sad man!!!!! or woman or many of both. You set little traps then attack whoever falls in, that is sad man. My comment was to Sue not some faceless nameless serial blogger. You spend far to much time blogging – if you are employed who pays for your time? Are you self employed or unemployed? How about you reveal yourself then I will tell you what is going wrong.
To Jane, many a good people have fallen to pack mentality in Hervey Bay. Sue is fine, she has the most powerful pack in the Fraser Coast to lick her wounds and they have Sue to lick theirs. The violins were screeching in my ears.
Sue catchy slogan for the title of your blog but it’s not about you – you know! Teachers are so good at bla bla bla-ing but they are known so well for not ……… (fill in the blank).
Happy to share a day with anyone and that was my intent so my apologies for not making that clear. There have been no ‘study’ or other type of tours at Council expense in this term that to my mind have been wasteful. Yes we do attend conferences from time to time and right now I’m at Mackay but thanks to my trusty iPad and blackberry I can still ‘work’!
Trips like the recent China trip did have a large contingent but everyone apart from the Mayor and CEO paid for themselves and there have been no other trips of a similar nature post amalgamation and no partners of anyone paid by Council to go anywhere. Entrance signs are a given but no matter. What we did in terms of labeling ourselves we couldn’t possibly please everyone. I prefer the simple brick wall type of sign but appreciate not everyone agrees with me
Please keep your comments coming I appreciate the conversation.
Ps Councillor pay is decided by a State Government constituted tribunal and is done via categories. Councils can decide on a pay level within a range. I am attending a delegation to discuss remuneration issues while attending the LGAQ conference
I must admit that I’m a little lost as to what sort of “comments” you are expecting when you say “Please keep your comments coming I appreciate the conversation.”
In your post above, you said, “No one truly has the right to comment about a policemans job, a nurses job or a groundsmens job etc unless one takes some time and spends time ‘on the job’.” You then invite people to spend time ‘on the job’ with you. So I assume you ONLY want comments from people who have the spare time to take up your offer.
I’m sure there are many people who would love to take up your offer, but are unable to because of work and family commitments. I’m sure some of those same people would also like to comment, but I think your post above has make it perfectly clear that they have no “right to comment”. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Jenni,
Well done, four paragraphs and you have said nothing.
Just answer the question, put the facts where your mouth is, but no, you cannot can you.
Sadman
Well we are two of a kind then aren’t we sad man.
Jenni,
I am sorry, but no we are not two of a kind. You are into fiction,
while I’m into fact.
While I might be sad, you are pathetic.
Come on, back up your mouth.
Sadman
No Patricia and Emily I do believe everyone has the right to comment by way of questions and observations etc. I just don’t want generalizations made that aren’t supported by facts. I’m sure you will now find examples of where I have generalized but let’s just be respectful and have a conversation not a slanging match
And can Jenni and Sadman refrain from using this forum to personally attack each other? I won’t be
Posting anymore such comments as they serve little to no purpose.
Ta. Sue
Glad to hear that Sue – Sadman has a real problem – I guess they will just use another name though to raise their facts! Sue when the facts are no where to be found this does not mean the facts are not out there – they just have not been discovered yet. Anyone with the right to facts can bamboozle someone who cannot get the facts – but as I said – that does not mean the facts are not out there. And I am not talking about Martians Sue and Sadman I am talking about science! Not science fiction, science! Further more Sadman fact is often changed with the discovery of science – once apon a time the world was thought to be flat amongst many other things. You do not know me Sadman – we are more alike than you know but yes there are some differences. Like you Sadman I use my brain and fingers not my mouth for the moment.
Sue,
Please point out where I have “personally attack(ed)” any one.
Regarding the input of Jenni and myself? I invite any one to read our posts and form their own opinion as to who has made a valid contribution to this issue.
Sadman
Maybe I should have used the words personally criticise! Prefer we all stick to issues rather than personal criticism
There’s been a bit in the news lately about people suggesting that other people should “walk a mile in my shoes”. I wonder after reading these stories Sue, whether you would like to re-assess your attitude that ratepayers have no “right” to comment on your performance unless they have done your job. Seriously, I think that you need to justify your position on this. I’m as mad as hell, and have been for over a week, and your refusal to address the question just makes me maderererererererererere. You are normally good at answering peoples’ concerns.
OK I’m back…. and copping it, it seems. When I post comment here I always run the risk of being quoted directly and reminded time and maybe time again about what I have said. After all whatever I say is there for all to see for ever after…
So if I could take back my actual every word or three now and then I would, but I can’t, and I am prepared to put comments out publicly so will live by them. But…..
What my intention was with my ‘right to comment’ comment about other peoples jobs is that I believe we all have the right to comment about anything and everything all of the time. After all I do that a lot!
What I prefer is that to have very informed and knowledgeable comment it helps to have intimate experience or knowledge about the things we are commenting on…. Hey that also sounds iffy. Try again.
To make general criticism about a profession or job is fine but I believe that to do so is easy and often is uninformed. So all I was trying to say is that in my experience my own perceptions of peoples jobs has changed on more than one occassion once I have actually experienced the job first hand. That’s all I was trying to express and I was also trying to defend my job and my performance as your Councillor. Sorry if my comments have upset you. Sue
Your second last sentence addressed me as “your Councillor”. I’m sorry, but while that may have once have been the case, you are no longer “my” councillor. You no longer represent “ME”. If I have no “right” to an opinion, than I am nothing.