THE more I read about the candidates for Bristol's Mayor and what they are letting themselves in for I find it very disturbing.
Here we have a proposed post of mayor, with no job description. A council which is deciding the salary for the individual. What a mess.
The political parties are all living up to make the successful candidate's job impossible. They are experts at delaying tactics.
On July 3 the Post did an article on council tax. Surely the £10.8 million of arrears should be the first priority.
The recovery of this money would be proof the new mayor's post is one we need.
One other thing, when voting takes place, can we assume that all voting boxes will be numbered, in order they can be checked in and out?
Plus all doors of offices etc locked when checking is taking place?
Then we won't have another fiasco like the 15 votes discovered in an office and the result settled by the toss of a coin. Bristol is becoming famous for all the wrong reasons.
The winning candidate will need all the help he can get.
R Morgan
Bristol
IN VIEW of the behaviour of Peter Davies, Mayor of Doncaster, we need to know how the candidates for the mayoralty of Bristol see their responsibilities to the City and how they propose to carry them out.
Mr Davies decided to change the library service in Doncaster by closing two libraries and transferring 12 others to entirely volunteer staffs.
He rejected a council amendment to keep library services as they were.
The full council passed the amendment by 43 to six, with three abstentions.
A challenge by a disabled library user was rejected at Leeds Crown Court and the decision of the mayor was upheld, a decision which both surprises and worries me.
As a retired librarian with 41 years service I am naturally disturbed at this outcome for libraries, but even more important is the new constitutional situation.
I know a local councillor and from time to time I write to her on matters I think important.
The Doncaster situation suggests that all such contacts are now pointless, indeed all council elections are now a waste of time.
One of my reasons for voting against directly elected mayors was a fear of some kind of four year dictatorship.
That fear seems to have been justified. Specifically, I write to know the candidates' answers to four questions:
What is your view on the value of public library services?
What is your attitude to elected councillors?
Would you ever ignore/override council votes, and in what circumstances?
In such an event how would you discover the degree of public support for your policy?
In response to an electoral address from George Ferguson I wrote to him on August 18 asking these questions. To date (September 24) I have had no reply.
I believe all candidates must be more open and ready to give us sufficient detail of their attitude to a range of major topics affecting citizens.
Roger Crudge
Bristol
AT LAST it's out! The Red Trousered Architect is a NIMBY! Never mind that the expansion of Bristol Airport will bring tourism and much need business to the region.
Never mind that a wealth of vital jobs in service industries, tourism, the building industry etc. etc. can be created.
Besides this his suggestion that all this businesses should be sent to Heathrow, that couldn't be more astonishing.
It is his task to promote Bristol not anywhere else!
I for one spotted trouble when he was instrumental in delaying the building of the new City Stadium; although I expect he will deny it now.
Know it: George Ferguson is not a forward looking person and is quite unsuitable to be the First Mayor of Bristol
Chris Harris
WHEN and how was it decided that Bristolians needed an elected mayor other than the usual ceremonial office.
Any individual voted as mayor by the public will naturally bring their own political bias to the position, no matter how much it would be claimed not to influence it.
Such a position would be encouraged by interested groups to make decisions in their favour leading to squabbles and arguments.
This would happen with disputes the public are aware of and the behind the scenes approaches to the Mayor does not bear thinking about.
T M Shore
A Pittsburgh-area man will spend 20 years in federal prison on child pornography charges for sexting images he extorted from teens by using a young female relative's cell phone and Facebook identity.
