Councillors - What good do they do?

[Skeptik]

The Councillor for Sea Point had this to say about the lady who was beaten up by a Metro Officer when her dog(matix) pooed on the pavement.

JP Smith, chairman of the city's Safety and Security Portfolio Committee, said the officer issued a fine to O'Neill because of the bylaw offence.

'She ran away and sustained wounds to her face when she fell'
But she refused to give her name and ran away, he said.

"In this case the officer had the right to arrest her. She ran away and sustained wounds to her face when she fell during the scuffle," he said.

Let's send him some messages saying what we think:
Surname Smith
Name: Jean-Pierre
Cell 083 675 3780
Email [email protected]
--
During a recent Coke Fest in Kenilworth, the councillor, Owen Kinahan did nothing to stop the noise despite endless complaints from residents located miles away. Another councillor, Ian Iversen actually lives in Kenilworth and failed to get the noise lowered.
--
On another occasion, Ian Iversen was quite defensive about evicting a 96yr old woman from her flat despite her having nowhere to go. Why didn't he defend a constituent??
--
I thought Councillors were like British MPs. We vote them in, they look out for the residents in their wards. Now it seems in Cape Town at least that they have just become spokespeople for the Council and defenders of their (bad) decisions.

 

[Ou grote]

Don't think you should be putting people's contact details here.

 

[Dovi]

The councillors are a joke. The ones in Jo'burg don't return calls or emails, and on the odd occasion they answer they don't deal with the matter.

 

[bex.cpt]

The Councillor for Sea Point had this to say about the lady who was beaten up by a Metro Officer when her dog(matix) pooed on the pavement.



Let's send him some messages saying what we think:
Surname Smith
Name: Jean-Pierre
Cell 083 675 3780
Email [email protected]
--
During a recent Coke Fest in Kenilworth, the councillor, Owen Kinahan did nothing to stop the noise despite endless complaints from residents located miles away. Another councillor, Ian Iversen actually lives in Kenilworth and failed to get the noise lowered.
--
On another occasion, Ian Iversen was quite defensive about evicting a 96yr old woman from her flat despite her having nowhere to go. Why didn't he defend a constituent??
--
I thought Councillors were like British MPs. We vote them in, they look out for the residents in their wards. Now it seems in Cape Town at least that they have just become spokespeople for the Council and defenders of their (bad) decisions.

What did you expect him to say. JP has been doing a bang up job and unlike others he has come to the people and is trying to help. I really dnt think you are correct in bad mouthing him. Why dnt you make yourself available for office and do better

 

[Gunny]

I agree with Bex my office is around the Greenpoint area and JP is doing alot to clean up and sort out this area. Are there any witnesses to validate any of the 2 stories? I know alot of the metro guys and quite a few of the police guys and they are great people. I'll wait and see what happens here.

 

[blunomore]

There are NO real requirements for being a municipal councillor, which freaks me out. I used to work in local government for a while in the 90's and I was amazed at the people who represented the community !

There are professional bodies and some councils who try to capacitate their councillors, but a lot of them are just ex stone throwers who were given a job.

SAD.

PS: A while ago, I mentioned on the forum that I had a problem with taxis in Benmore Gardens. I contacted the DA councillors and up to now, did not even get a response. I think I should e-mail them again and this time I should CC Helen Z.

 

[schitz011]

Don't think you should be putting people's contact details here.

If he is a councilor then his details should be public knowledge IMHO. How can you be accountable if you hide behind your secretary? (don't answer that it's rhetorical)

 

[Skeptik]

Don't think you should be putting people's contact details here.

I did, I do. These are public figures and their contacts are openly published on the council site.

What did you expect him to say. JP has been doing a bang up job and unlike others he has come to the people and is trying to help. I really dnt think you are correct in bad mouthing him. Why dnt you make yourself available for office and do better

I expect him to wait for the investigation. Eyewitnesses confirm the officer did wrong. The charges against her have been dropped. And fundamentally, this issue is about DOG POOH. Say no more!

We voted these people in supposedly because they said they could do it well. If they can't then they should resign or we should vote them out.

I am not bad-mouthing anybody, just reacting to a report about a public official.

Let's see if he reacts to the news report at all.

I contacted the DA councillors and up to now, did not even get a response. I think I should e-mail them again and this time I should CC Helen Z.

You won't get an answer from HZ. She used to be responsive, but not any more.

Read this:

IT IS A STANDING INSTRUCTION OF THE CITY MANAGER THAT ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE CITY MUST RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OR RESPONSE WITHIN SEVEN TO TEN DAYS OF RECEIPT

 

[Ou grote]

Not the job for me then.

 

[Tassidar]

IT IS A STANDING INSTRUCTION OF THE CITY MANAGER THAT ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE CITY MUST RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OR RESPONSE WITHIN SEVEN TO TEN DAYS OF RECEIPT

The city manager afaik is accountable to the councillors, not the other way round. They city manger is therefore responsible for implementing policy that council has determined.

Accountability of the councillors, must then lie from the political parties, and if you want to hold a councillor responsible, your best bet would be to discover who is next up in the DA.

 

[blunomore]

The city manager afaik is accountable to the councillors, not the other way round. They city manger is therefore responsible for implementing policy that council has determined.

Accountability of the councillors, must then lie from the political parties, and if you want to hold a councillor responsible, your best bet would be to discover who is next up in the DA.

As I said, I worked in that environment - lost of them are dimwits.

Some actually think that once they acknowledge receipt of a letter or e-mail, they can sit back and relax. Hellooooooooooooooooooooo ! You haven't even STARTED to solve the problem.

 

[capetownguy]

well councillors cant do everything but i know they have done a hell of a lot more in communities across cape town which ive seen with my own eyes. there will always be individual incidents and not all councillors do their job and are effective but i dont think the quality of people can be compared to the **** up under nomainda "im a fat cow and do nothing" mfeketo.

ive always received a response with regard to any enquiries/queries.
if u have a sport issue then email the head of sport instead of the mayor hoping it filters down to the right person.

oh and bylaws are there for a reason. just waiting for new laws to ensure people only cross roads at pedestrian crossings and get fined for not doing it.

 

[Davidelton]

Wake up Alf 101

Alf 101 says he doesn't think you should put people's contact details on this website. The contact details for JP Smith come from a City of Cape Town website. Generally, people can contact councillors. But typical South African thinking though: one shouldn't upset councillors too much. I mean people may ask, for example, why they say on Friday, quoted in the Argus, along lines of "O'Neill injured herelf, officer entitled to behave like a Metro policeman" and on the following Monday the same Smith is on a Cape radio station, saying Metro police must be brought into line especially after the "terrible assault on ... " or some such blow in the wind words.

The biggest mystery, is how this story of apparent criminal behaviour by a policeman, occupying front page on the day it happened, has suddenly disappeared without trace.

 

[Skeptik]

I've been told that JP was misquoted but there has been no letter/complaint from him as far as I can tell.

Failing that, whom do we believe?

In my experience, the councillors vary in response times & friendliness. Some don't respond at all. The general attitude is "I'm a councillor and I demand respect!"

Some are 'too busy'. These are the ones who will go in the next election. They become lazy and complacent after being in office too long.