Blue Mountains Gazette By Damien Madigan 30 Jun, 2010 10:11 AM
The future of Springwood's town centre was mired in fresh controversy last week following a fiery council meeting where both sides of the debate accused the other of offensive behaviour.
The Springwood community will vote in a poll on the issue next year after council decided to ask Coles, Woolworths and the Jamieson Property Group for detailed proposals. These will involve building a supermarket/retail development in exchange for new community facilities including an upgraded library and civic centre.
But the decision was overshadowed by controversy at last Tuesday's council meeting in Springwood after the seven councillors who voted for the specific poll option chose not to speak in defence of their position, angering the 300-strong public gallery.
Councillors were heckled with cries of 'coward', 'rat' and bribery allegations, and when it became clear the seven councillors were going to remain silent, members of the gallery shouted at them to speak.
The move led deputy mayor Janet Mays to say she was "ashamed" of council.
"Their silence here tonight says to the community 'you don't matter'," she told the meeting.
But Ward 3 councillor Daniel Myles later said the councillors had faced a torrent of abuse from the public gallery.
"There was a campaign of intimidation against councillors and our silence was a direct response of their refusal to engage in a civilised debate," he said outside the meeting.
Ward 3 Labor councillor Alison McLaren said the seven chose not to speak after being "accused of inappropriate behaviour".
"Such outrageous allegations were not worthy of a response," she said.
It was an argument that did not wash with Ward 3 councillor Brendan Luchetti.
"I believe that the silence of the councillors ... was what inflamed the meeting. People wanted to hear an explanation, a justification, a debate, and sadly this did not happen. In my view, their failure to address the community was akin to tipping petrol on a bonfire," he said.
The audience's anger peaked when the vote was passed to get detailed proposals from Coles, Woolworths and the Jamieson Property Group before going to a poll.
Audience members were also angered by the sight of some councillors talking and sending text messages during the meeting.
The night ended with councillors Myles and McLaren being escorted from the meeting by council rangers after being approached by members of the gallery.
Councillors Creed, Greenhill, Myles, McLaren, Searle, Van der Kley and Hamilton voted for the specific poll option. Councillors Gibbs, Mays, Clark and Luchetti voted against it. Councillor McCallum was not at the meeting.