Ghost houses and council buildings, including the old Howick council building, are prime examples of the wasteful and environmentally-damaging excesses of the rich, who have more money than they know what to do with.
It would appear that the ratepayer-owned Howick council building [on Moore Street] which, from the time it was no longer needed some 20 years ago, could have been a money-earner for ratepayers, was kept empty and is now so decrepit and run-down and, by their own standards condemned, nobody wants it.
Such wasteful ways by our local council. The old Howich library is another example and is testimony to the lack of business acumen exhibited by this and previous councils and should have earned then a vote of no confidence and [saw them] ousted.
Such is the supposedly democratic process or processes we have in electing incompetent councils and will continue to do so unless we introduce some form of performance pay with an independent body adjudging each individual council member’s performance and paid accordingly.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay
