The TCC Travelling Road Show Of McCabe, Greaney, And Richardson In A Return Performance Under The MIRRA Big Top

Yup, the circus was back in full swing on Maggie yesterday at the latest monthly ratepayers meeting … and it didn’t go well.  And also revealed a double standard by one of the luminaries. The Magpie reveals just why so many islanders have no time for Greaney’s dishonest trickery in supposedly representing them.

Should the financially beleaguered Townsville City Council be forced to do a ‘Bundaberg’ … sell off council owned assets to alleviate

Pussyfooting around those council termination payout rorts. We know who dunnit, why won they sayit?

An our weekly cartoonists’ gallery from Amerika runs the whole gamut from amusing to alarming,  as the Trump train veers further of the rails.

The Magpie’s Nest is an advertising-free publication to maintain its independence, but as worthwhile as that may be, lofty ideals do not pay the bills associated with the blog, so if you can lend a helping hand, the donate button is at the bottom of the blog.

It Was ‘Seconds Out Round Two’ At The Maggie Island MIRRA Rematch Yesterday

You’ll remember that TCC CEO Joe McCabe imposed a ban on council staff attending further meetings of the Magnetic Island Residents and Ratepayers Association (MIRRA) after division rep Clr Ann-Maree Greaney copped a bit of free and frank character reading at the December gathering.  Seems Joe was keen to mend fences after discussions with MIRRA head honcho Doug Turnbull,  and figured Greaney needed a bit of help to sort out some islander grievances.

So Joe and Greaney rocked up yesterday to the February meeting, but perhaps unwisely included in the delegation the portentous Matt Richardson,  the council’s General Manager Property, Fleet & Emergency Management. Things didn’t go well for the man they call Major Matt, according this account of the meeting sent into the Nest soon after the knees up had ended..

Hi. Pie.

We’ve just returned from the MIRRA meeting. Greaney turned up, bringing the muscle boys with her: Matt Richardson and no less than CEO Joe McCabe. When McCabe got up and began speaking like a dignatory ( but one who says “somethink” for something) an old fella from the floor called out “Excuse me, but who are you?” There was great ceremony applied to McCabe’s presence: the first CEO to EVER visit a MIRRA meeting!

There was high farce : one resident called Mattypants a liar, Cameron Turnbull tried to evict her  but she said she wouldn’t stay anyway in any meeting that allowed lying. John Wayne-like, Mattypants visibly  stood to his full height  and told the meeting he was “highly offended” at being called a liar; and he stood on his record of 27 years of service in the ADF.

He later lied through his teeth about the Kelly St dump, describing the harbour spoil as an all natural  topsoil-like product. So, he said  “that means it’s not heavy industry.”

Greaney’s looking a bit worse for wear. She said she wanted to dispel some rumours doing the rounds on the island: 1. When her husband visited the Brewery on the island he paid for his own drinks. 2. Yes, she was in Japan on holiday when the big wet came, but she came right home and she paid  her own way. The ratepayers did not pay for her flights. She waved her hand like a queen and said words to the effect “So if you think I’ve done anything wrong go ahead and refer me to the OIA”.

The mood from the floor was that they weren’t fooling anyone; same old, same old.  So I think their charade has done them more harm than good.

Well, perhaps it was also unwise for Clr Greaney to throw down that particular gauntlet. Because there is at least one well researched MI resident who may do just that – bring a matter to the attention of the Office of the Independent Assessor.

There have many grievances laid at Greaney’s door but the one that festers most , and is almost universally opposed by all MI ratepayers is the council decision to dump dredge spoil onto a vacant ‘community’ block of land on Kelly Street, Nelly Bay. The block is surrounded on three sides by family homes.

This plan has been a contentious issue for close to a decade now. Residents have long called for a medical centre and at least one aged care facility there, which would be appropriate to its original zoning. Then something very strange went on behind the scenes in the dying months of the Hill regime, and was apparently enthusiastically orchestrated in secret by Clr Greaney, the very person elected to represent the interest of island residents and present their objections to council proposals.

This new and incomprehensible cut and pasted change to ‘community usage’  (it just doesn’t make sense) suddenly appeared in the City Plan.

It became apparent it was a cut And paste from a very different zoning, one completely incompatible with a residential area. The alteration has been lifted in its entirety from another part of the document.

No one has been able to explain how this all came about. But what is clear in plain language is that Clr Greaney personally did Mayor Hill’s bidding, and drove the changes, shepherded a required zone change through Brisbane (which has NOT been gazetted) and pushed the motion for the change and subsequent decisions to dump sludge there against the interest of her island constituents. But then came the most cynical and duplicitous move of all by our now acting mayor … she called for meetings for consultation to get Islander’s thoughts on the Kelly street site when the decision about dredge spoil has already been made and the necessary regulations changed and unobtrusively put in place.

So no matter what the residents said or opposed, all they got of Greaney was the an arrogant finger of a done deal they were simply wasting their time by their duplicitous councillor. Her actions are diametrically opposed too the requirements in the act for councillor responsibilities about constituent representation.

Perhaps these events,   which is well known on the island, may explain some of the simmering antagonism towards a deeply dishonest councillor and a complicit council.   Matt Richardson would certainly have known all about this, so he must accept his share of responsibility for this this deliberate deception.  But Matt, mate, you can take heart from one thing that you have in common with Magnetic Island residents – you are both ‘deeply offended’ about lying.

The damning evidence was presented to the Bulletin last year, but they not only ignored it, but printed incorrect information on the issue.

Well, no real surprise there, I guess.

There Is Another Solution For The Kelly Street Site.

The Townsville Council could do a ‘Bundaberg’ with it.

A year or two ago, the Bundberg Council, dxecided they only had one way left to reduce debt.

Since then, after genuine community consultation, that council has agreed to retain nie of the sites, but the rest will be going under the hammer in the next few weeks.

Selling of Townsville Council assets has long had its fans, especially business people familiar with the massive waste and crazy management (that you again, ‘Major’ Richardson?  And that is a debate for another time.

BUT this could be an ideal win-win for the Kelly stdeet site, but only if it was offered to a residential ddeveloper. It would bring a pretty penny, but savvy developers like Peter Tapiolas would almost certainly be interested.

This option ticks all the boxes, as it addresses the housing crisis, would make the council a sizeable chunk of money, it would soon be generating strong rates income, it would benefit all parties especially if part of the land was set aside for a new medical centre,  and above all it would right the massive wrong perpetrated on Magnetic Island by the disgraceful Ann-Maree Greaney.

Joe McCabe Hasn’t Been Upfront On Another Matter – And For No Apparent Reason 

A couple of weeks ago, this appeared in the texts to the editor at the Astonisher

Joe McCabe has had long enough to find out who authorised the overpayments to departing TCC staff. I thought this council promised a new age of transparency.

Tom, Rowes Bay

So John of Mysterton decided to reply, but the paper didn’t publish it … although his info is common knowledge among current and past council staff.

Tom at Rowed Bay, Prins Ralston approved the payments to staff, like the Director of Corporate Services, who in addition to her excessive monetary component had her MBA paid for and now works at TAFE Townsville, and the Chief Financial Officer, legal officer etc, about one million all up for them, and Mayor Thompson approved Prins Ralston’s grossly excessive payout, worth two years of salary, over one million dollars, plus the new Toyota Land Cruiser he had for work, in total nearly $1.3m. The CEO and Mayor gave millions of rate payers dollars to help their friends and themselves. Daylight robbery, and so far no accountability...?

John of Mysterton.

Now, one wonders why they wouldn’t print that. Or maybe they did, The ‘Pie has limited endurance reading text To The Ed.

Has It Occurred To Anyone Else Besides The ‘Pie?

While The Shovel is making a valid point with satire ….

… there was one throwaway line during the tsunami of squawking about those Chinese warships that should be carefully noted here in Townsville.  One expert suggested part of the Chinese covert message was that they were demonstrating if push comes to ka-boom, they could easily reach all mainland military targets missiles fired from way out in international waters.

Laverack Barracks is the biggest troop home in the country. So that would make us ….

Now we just wait for the Bulletin Headline: ‘Chinese Navy Threatens Townsville House Prices.’ 

Gotta Love This Bit Of Mixed-Up Stupidity From The Bulletin.

And it’s hilarity all round in this yarn about a private sign o the back of a parked ute.

The first mystified chuckle is after we read the unmistakeable and unpixilated sign, and then go to the story, the second paragraph of which is:

“a–e”? Oh, Caitlin, you shy little munchkin, are you hinting that the amended  word is (gasp, clutch pearls!!) arse? Hang on let’s check … oh. yes, there it is right next door in the photograph. So while it’s OK in a photograph,  the paper doesn’t tolerate ‘arse’ in print?

Then there the arse-covering (see what I’ve done there?) statement from the council that they ‘were monitoring the site and will issue a notice to any cars … displaying political signage’.‘ They were obviously were not monitoring it or the oner wold have been told already to piss off, but as usual, not knowing when to shut up, the council spokeswoman unnecessarily added ‘Council conducts blitzes in this area and other road reserves to ensure the safety of road users’.  This from someone whose employer allows legitimate advertisers to install  and operate often moving and sometimes video signs at some of the busiest intersection in the city, which require more than a single brief glance? And why just political signage, pray tell, you fork-tongued pricks?

And love to hear the pillow talk in reporter Leighton Smith’s household about this story … if memory serves, isn’t the Labor candidate Edwina Andrew at which this partially aimed Mrs LightOn Smith?

The ‘Pie Quite Liked This One From The Shovel

The Magpie Confesses Admiration For Our Bikie’s Mole Senator …

…. at least in one aspect. This gal, unlike others in her cohort, has no hidden agendas. She knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to say so..

You’re in some sort of personal dreamtime, Senator.  Sounds like you’ve encountered one too many rainbow serpents down at the clubhouse.

Say What?

The Magpie is as bad at maths as the average Bulletin reporter, so he needs help here. Trolling the daily Roy Morgan summary, he came across this.

Hmmm, 22 million on a monthly basis, but 18.4 million weekly? Now let me see, unless there’s been a change The ‘Pie has missed, there are -give or take – four weeks in every month, and 4 X 18.4m = 73.6m.  It is known that immigration is a bit out of control, but somehow i don’t think that is the answer.

Anybody?

Amerika

The Mobster President’s latest move was to make an offer that Ukraine couldn’t refuse. In one of the most unedifying scenarios, Trump and assistant poisoned dwarf J.D Vance, ganged up on Zelensky, telling him black was white, night was day,  an d tried to mug him for his country’s mineral wealth. But Zelensky wasn’t copping any bullying from these two gun shy braggarts, and in so doing, became the first international leader to be bounced from The Spite House.  Trump didn’t have a bar of Zelensky’s counter proposal.

But as the bitter laughter dies down, here is something that should be watched by any student of this history that is being made before our very eyes.  Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker is assured on remaining on the right side of history when the reckoning comes for America.

But calling Trump out for gross behaviour will achieve nothing, but The  Magpie believes there is a way to drive Amerika’s new self-proclaimed ‘king’ further in King George the loony territory. asttacking Trump’s ego is likely to debiltate this arseole more quickly than any other tactic. And the way was shown during the week.

While the video is somewhat stomach churning, this hits at the Trump’s most vulnerable spot – his overweening ego.  The video adds to the already widespread perception that Musk has Trump by the balls, and is the real shot caller. And doesn’t seem to make much of a secret of it. This really will wear down on the world’s leading megalomaniac, who is already showing signs of losing it.

And A Couple To Leave You With 

And finally, this one … and The Magpie will admit he had to look at it for quite a while until he got it.

………………….

That’s the week gone, we have a council meeting coming up on Wednesday, should be some interesting stuff. Or not. The donate button to offer much needed financialmassistance for Nest upkeep is below.