The Town Mayor and Town council
- 28 September 2008 21:236739I am now going to do a letter on the roll of the mayor and the town council as I see it you might or might not agree with me.
The Mayor has two rolls to play first is he is the public face not only of the council but also the town.
But also the mayor is the head of the town council for the one or two years he or she is in office.
The Mayor should be chosen about May time each year this is done by all the councillors of the council having a free vote on who they would like to see as their mayor in the following year, but is it done that way, well I am sorry to tell you that it is not,if that was the case why do we now know who the next is and have know that, before this year mayor was elected, let me tell you now that the 2009 was elected before the 2008 was and that is a fact,Cllr G Cowan will be mayor of 2009 he was going to be this years mayor but 2009 Dovors mayor will head the mayors of the C/ports and that is the roll he aske for,I will say this I think he will do a good job of it, BUT is it right WHY ARE THEY Voting at a full town council for a mayor when they all ready know who will get the job.
The Town council have about eight committees they are Financeand gen/purposes. town/environment, town/twinning/C/functions, planning,policy, the rest I CAN NOT THINK OF AT THIS TIME,they all are on two committees with the mayor officio member of all the committees that means he can vote on them all
Each committee have one meeting per month with a officer of the council taking the notes later to be send out to all the cllrs before the full council meeting again each month, lets just look at one of the committees the planning one now they meet and have all the plans send down from the district council to have a look at can they vote on them? thats a no to that one they can comment only to the district council on how they feel about a plan do the district act on what the town council say it is a big no to that.
Do you know that some of the cllrs you vote in do not even go to the meetings
You might also aske do we need all the committees they have which do cost time and cash
I do not think we need all of them.
let us have a look now at the Cllrs, and let me tell you this fact most of the red cllrs do work not only for the town but their wards to Cllr Hammit does also work but what about the rest what do they do for the Town and also some who you voted for do not even go to their wards some have not been seen at the wards for over six years is that right.
I also think we need the town council but in a bigger roll in par with the district.
But what must be done and now if they do nothing about the way they put the mayor in office we can not keep having the same ones year and year out.
I will just say this if you are in St Radigunds Parish ward and do not wish to vote for me then your best bet is vote red, but please vote for the person .
i remain yours faithfully Vic matcham - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
28 September 2008 21:346741how about a committe for dodgy posts and desision making.another for signs in gobbalygook etc.
- 28 September 2008 22:006742Vic, as you will know from the press and forums, my views on Mayor Making have been made public (not least at the last Mayor making ceremony) and is of on going concern. All the committees on the Town Council do a lot of work and as we have just reorganised them there are a few teething problems that are being sorted. One of the new committees is for Sport and, given the brilliant results being won by our football teams, the great standard set by our Rugby teams and the work of the Rowing Club and others, I am sure that most will see the value of supporting the clubs we have and seeking ways to encourage new sports into the town. Planning is a vital function as we are elected to represent the views of our wards and it is therefore vital that we have the chance to at least put forward our views before the plans go to DDC. The manner in which DDC deal with them has been a cause for complaint and I have objected to their use of officers to overturn objections, as have other town councillors, but it is not the place of the Town Council to ignore the proper respect for democracy (even if DDC choose to when it suites them). Finally, as to elected members who fail to attend more than the minimum required number of meetings, attendance is recorded on all sets of minutes which can be requested and if more information is required then people should request that attendance records for all councillors be published on a regular basis (and I would encourage people to do so).Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour - 28 September 2008 22:396744i have contacted the town council by phone letter and countless e mails for attendance records.
guess what the answer was?
an independent councillor, who shall remain nameless, but we will call him david hannent, actually posted on here that we should ask about attendance records!!! - 28 September 2008 23:286745Well there you have it and about the sport they done the work not the council you do not need a new committee to support them it can be done at full council or on the end of one of the committee you have in place after all there is only 16 of you and as i said some of them do not turn up.
Why do you need all the committees which eats up our fundings it is us who are paying for it all
cut out some of them which will save time cash and post and paper. 
Vic M - 29 September 2008 09:216749Vic
If you are going to start your election bid with notes about the Town Council its best if you get your facts right!
Secondly I also said that anyone who had not had an answer from the DTC would like to copy it to me I would find out why - guess what no-one did. I am always ready to pick up personal issues and have always got an open door. IN MY WARD.
I also regret that Vic has chosen to commend Councillor Hammit - I have never met him but assure him that many councillors do things that both the public and he never sees. It is a thankless task but important.
I am afraid that Vics delusions of adequacy will obscure the real issues.
I certainly agree with one thing and that has been stated endlessly that the DTC is and always has been in the firm grip of one party and that is wrong.
I do not intend to use this forum for St radigunds electioneering unless I am prompted to by others. I think it is best kept in the political area - which I dont look at!
D - 29 September 2008 09:216750Please let me have more of your comments I think it is right to have it all in the open.
My next post will be about the runing of the D.D.C.
And this is how I see it you might or might not agree with me then please tell me that and why .
I remain yours faithfully Vic matcham - 29 September 2008 11:146752Vic.
Be very wary of guys in black hats walking round with violin cases.
Ian...grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet. - 29 September 2008 15:066757Vic. on the sports committee, please read the whole posting, there is far more to it than just supporting our local teams (unless you think they are not worth supporting?).Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour - 29 September 2008 20:166770Thank you all for your comments i have nothing to add to them and have no wish to fall out with any of you as I put in that post it is how I see it and still do.we.
I remain yours faithfully vic Matcham - 29 September 2008 21:546774david
i have posted on here to you many times about the lack of response.
also i have posted to you about attendance records.
you then say that someone has to be in your ward to get a response!! - 30 September 2008 12:256808Vic,you are right in some way about the Mayor,but not 100%.The Mayor is chosen openly as I have said on here before,but if you are the ruling group yes you will have a meeting and decide who is going to be put forward,the same as the Indies do.Then because one group has a majority they will almost certainly become Mayor.
Would Gordon Brown say that George Osborne is a good chap I will give him a job as Chancellor.No!If Paul Watkins was impressed with say my work,would he say how about you becoming Chairman of the Council.No!So why do you find it strange the Town Council operate the same way.Would the ruling group nominate an Indie to be Mayor.No!
In politics you get nothing for coming second,in the 4 years I was a Town Councillor no one ever told me to vote for someone,I listened to who wanted to stand and voted accordinally.
There was the case of a Mayor 5 years ago that the Indies backed and made it clear that they had some arrangement with him for the Indies to support him even though he was a Labour Councillor.We had met and nominated someone else,but we decided that we would not split the group and as he had made it clear he wanted to stand then we felt it was better to have everyone's backing.The cost to me was that I would have been deputy Mayor elect,but I wasn't under the re-think.Did I have a problem with that? No because it was seen to be the best for the People and the Town,the way I have always voted.
Being Mayor is not an easy job,first you want to do it and remember it is almost a full time job,with only expense as payment,then you have got to have time to do it and it can be very expensive new suits for men new dresses for ladies.I know they get some/most of it back but....then in my opinion you have got to be ready for the Job,and that means being able to do it,and when I resigned 3 years ago for reasons that were well documented,I felt that I was not ready because I could not trust the Mayor at that time,I had told him that he had to earn my respect and if I saw anything I wasn't happy about I would be gone.He lied to me not once but several times and although politics can be a dirty trade,I have never and will never put up with lying to your collegues.So i resigned as Deputy Mayor and as a Councillor,then that was followed by 2 other Cllrs who had that same principle,he is no longer in politics,he called me once and said People don't like quitters,I agreed but said they preferred honesty and principle.If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble! - 30 September 2008 13:536809Howard
again you are talking out your hat ( if thats where you keep it!)
I have never had an e-mail from you. How do you expect me to answer if you dont give details of what you wanted - I have repeatedly said that I would follow up any such complaint.
I have not had a mailing about attendance records - it is not for me to give them but if the DTC wont I will ask why.
Where on earth did I say that you have to be in my ward - that again is your usual misinterpretation and stirring. I will act for anyone in or out of Dover - and do. i am not tied to my ward.
D - 30 September 2008 13:596810John
I am sorry that you chose to denigrate someone who cant answer back.
If you wish i would be happy to open up the records I have, as to why you resigned and can publish your statements made at the time which are a matter of record - I have heard too much rubbish from you which is not true about that matter. Both I and Ken Tranter know the facts.
I recommend that you do not continue with this issue. - 30 September 2008 15:066813See also the statement from Town Clerk Mike Webb on a new thread which directly relates to the topic here.email: dover7@msn.com
- 30 September 2008 15:326815Please lets not full out about all this what is in the past is gone.
I remain yours faithfully Vic Matcham - 30 September 2008 16:006817I know why i resigned,and nothing you will say David will change that,that was one of the three reasons.But they were all basically the same thing,lying after being told one thing in one room I sat and listened to the same man saying the complete opposite in a different room to other people.Call it what you like but that to me is lying.If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
- 30 September 2008 16:196818I do wish you would please put your own names to postings I do not know who David H is,I would like to know if he would tell me, but only him please even if you know him.
My email is victormatcham@btinternet.com.
Thank you - 30 September 2008 17:166820Surely you cannot possibly be that OUT OF TOUCH Vic.
David H is infact David Hannent or as you call him David Hammit.
Perhaps you should double check names before posting - 30 September 2008 18:316822Well hey there VIc this is all news to me about the Mayor has somebody voted for me