Albany's Local Govt Election is Over Run with Nutters
I'm feeling a bit despairing filling out my ballot, because there seems to be so few candidates who have even a vague idea of what governance is supposed to be.
I haven't studied them in detail, but of the 24 I would say less than a third have "reasonable" platforms (even if I disagree with them).
There's about 8 who are mask-off anti-trans anti-woke anti-dei MAGA dickheads, (and I suspect several more who haven't been as forthright about their views).
The remainder are just hapless idiots who very clearly don't understand governance.
Hopefully, the candidates aren't indicative of the opinions generally held by the populace.
Funky_Beak @lemmy.sdf.org - 3mon
Yeah i have a tinfoil hat theory that they are trying to do what they did in the US and try to rot local gov to then bring it into state and eventually federal.
8
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
Yep, this has struck my mind as well.
3
mickey @lemmy.zip - 3mon
Some candidates have admitted that's the reason. If they can't win the popular vote in the big elections they'll start off in ones that people don't care so much about.
2
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
DEI? Fucks sakes, do they have to import every little detail of their American culture war psycho dramas.
Whats the "dei" initiative they're all worked up about in Albany? They repaint the cannons at the memorial a "woke" colour? Not enough dead Whales on the beer cans? Too much windfarm noise?
Edit: insert word, dead
4
null_dot @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 3mon
Yeah - you've touched on one of the reasons I'm so grumpy about it. A City councillor has a governance role.
They consider and set city policy and review and approve executive actions. There's not really any scope to be anti-woke or anti-anything really unless you squint really hard. The majority of the job is understanding the concerns of residents and balancing that against the advice of experts and the difficulties encountered by the executive.
It's not really a platform from whence to dispense your authoritarian demands.
4
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
I have an unrelated question, but since your an Albany local you may know of something. I's looking pretty hard while i's down there last to see if there was any independent journo's in Albany, that i could track and post their stuff on this community from time to time. I couldn't find any, just ABC and Stokes. Closest i could find was a Denmark paper that seems okay, formats not very link aggregator friendly though.
Do you know of anybody/organisations down Albany way that i can link to on here?
3
null_dot @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 3mon
Nope, not any more.
We had an indie paper but it was pretty pathetic and the inevitable insolvency happened several years ago.
There is southerly magazine but its only published as a pdf.
3
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
Bah, these bloody pdfs, i'm gona have to email one of these papers one day and ask what the deal is with these. I'd love to be able to refer to papers like Post but they're done the same way.
I had a brief discussion with the Perth Voice editor when that site went down earlier this year, apparently they reached a maximum on memory they could store for that website? I don't really understand that explanation though. But if they're going offline like they have then maybe its too expensive for these papers to have their articles accessible in a more online friendly format. I don't know, as i say, i'm gona have to contact one of these people one of these days and understand the issue.
2
null_dot @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 3mon
I'll have a stab at an answer. I think there's a range of reasons.
These magazines are produced by people will the skills, knowledge, resources, and contacts to produce a physical magazine. The southerly is produced by someone who was at the last indie paper to shut down here in Albany.
It's a side hustle. Get some advertisers to pay you to put their ad in a magazine at cafes and wherever else.
The online distribution just isn't relevant to these producers. They won't ever get any revenue from it. They're not interested in increasing their online readership. They don't know how to produce websites, because their skills and experience are in print.
In some ways, making their content available in a shareable way, like a blog post, makes it ripe for posting to facebook, which will ultimately reduce their readership.
Allowing you to see their production in a pdf viewer is a concession that allows you to show someone else some article you read at the cafe or whatever.
3
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
In some ways, making their content available in a shareable way, like a blog post, makes it ripe for posting to facebook, which will ultimately reduce their readership
This is an interesting thought, i can understand the logic, might not agree that its sound, but i can see the way they'd put together that line of thinking.
2
eureka - 3mon
Why yes, we want *checks candidate profiles* apolitical politicians, an AI guy trying to cut spending, and to "Make Albany Great Again".
(and I suspect several more who haven’t been as forthright about their views).
That's my main worry. A few didn't even present their views or policies.
3
null_dot @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 3mon
AI guy is the worst. If we wanted to AI-bullshit our services then we might hire a consultant. Its not a councillors job to reconfigure procedures.
4
wildwhitehorses - 3mon
24! I have a choice of 4. I too am a little * cough * disillusioned with the candidates. They either think too big or too small and dont seem to understand the capabilities of a local government. Thankfully most understand that Australia's strength is our diverse peoples. Ok i do live in a very 'woke' area. I am proud of you for wanting to get involved in the local governmemt elections and i wish more people did.
2
Gorgritch_Umie_Killa - 3mon
Yeah, like you said in the other post, we need to start thinking about ways of engaging the general populace in local elections more effectively. Whether ots compulsory voting, or something else. Probably multiple things will be needed being realistic.
U/joshi@aussie.zone and i had an interesting chat along these lines on their Post about some council issues a few weeks back.
null_dot in perth
Albany's Local Govt Election is Over Run with Nutters
I'm feeling a bit despairing filling out my ballot, because there seems to be so few candidates who have even a vague idea of what governance is supposed to be.
You can see the candidates here:
https://www.albany.wa.gov.au/council/council-business/candidate-profiles.aspx
I haven't studied them in detail, but of the 24 I would say less than a third have "reasonable" platforms (even if I disagree with them).
There's about 8 who are mask-off anti-trans anti-woke anti-dei MAGA dickheads, (and I suspect several more who haven't been as forthright about their views).
The remainder are just hapless idiots who very clearly don't understand governance.
Hopefully, the candidates aren't indicative of the opinions generally held by the populace.
Yeah i have a tinfoil hat theory that they are trying to do what they did in the US and try to rot local gov to then bring it into state and eventually federal.
Yep, this has struck my mind as well.
Some candidates have admitted that's the reason. If they can't win the popular vote in the big elections they'll start off in ones that people don't care so much about.
DEI? Fucks sakes, do they have to import every little detail of their American culture war psycho dramas.
Whats the "dei" initiative they're all worked up about in Albany? They repaint the cannons at the memorial a "woke" colour? Not enough dead Whales on the beer cans? Too much windfarm noise?
Edit: insert word, dead
Yeah - you've touched on one of the reasons I'm so grumpy about it. A City councillor has a governance role.
They consider and set city policy and review and approve executive actions. There's not really any scope to be anti-woke or anti-anything really unless you squint really hard. The majority of the job is understanding the concerns of residents and balancing that against the advice of experts and the difficulties encountered by the executive.
It's not really a platform from whence to dispense your authoritarian demands.
I have an unrelated question, but since your an Albany local you may know of something. I's looking pretty hard while i's down there last to see if there was any independent journo's in Albany, that i could track and post their stuff on this community from time to time. I couldn't find any, just ABC and Stokes. Closest i could find was a Denmark paper that seems okay, formats not very link aggregator friendly though.
Do you know of anybody/organisations down Albany way that i can link to on here?
Nope, not any more.
We had an indie paper but it was pretty pathetic and the inevitable insolvency happened several years ago.
There is southerly magazine but its only published as a pdf.
Bah, these bloody pdfs, i'm gona have to email one of these papers one day and ask what the deal is with these. I'd love to be able to refer to papers like Post but they're done the same way.
I had a brief discussion with the Perth Voice editor when that site went down earlier this year, apparently they reached a maximum on memory they could store for that website? I don't really understand that explanation though. But if they're going offline like they have then maybe its too expensive for these papers to have their articles accessible in a more online friendly format. I don't know, as i say, i'm gona have to contact one of these people one of these days and understand the issue.
I'll have a stab at an answer. I think there's a range of reasons.
These magazines are produced by people will the skills, knowledge, resources, and contacts to produce a physical magazine. The southerly is produced by someone who was at the last indie paper to shut down here in Albany.
It's a side hustle. Get some advertisers to pay you to put their ad in a magazine at cafes and wherever else.
The online distribution just isn't relevant to these producers. They won't ever get any revenue from it. They're not interested in increasing their online readership. They don't know how to produce websites, because their skills and experience are in print.
In some ways, making their content available in a shareable way, like a blog post, makes it ripe for posting to facebook, which will ultimately reduce their readership.
Allowing you to see their production in a pdf viewer is a concession that allows you to show someone else some article you read at the cafe or whatever.
This is an interesting thought, i can understand the logic, might not agree that its sound, but i can see the way they'd put together that line of thinking.
Why yes, we want *checks candidate profiles* apolitical politicians, an AI guy trying to cut spending, and to "Make Albany Great Again".
That's my main worry. A few didn't even present their views or policies.
AI guy is the worst. If we wanted to AI-bullshit our services then we might hire a consultant. Its not a councillors job to reconfigure procedures.
24! I have a choice of 4. I too am a little * cough * disillusioned with the candidates. They either think too big or too small and dont seem to understand the capabilities of a local government. Thankfully most understand that Australia's strength is our diverse peoples. Ok i do live in a very 'woke' area. I am proud of you for wanting to get involved in the local governmemt elections and i wish more people did.
Yeah, like you said in the other post, we need to start thinking about ways of engaging the general populace in local elections more effectively. Whether ots compulsory voting, or something else. Probably multiple things will be needed being realistic.
U/joshi@aussie.zone and i had an interesting chat along these lines on their Post about some council issues a few weeks back.