Melbourne Times puts the boot in

Residents,

The Fairfax-owned Melbourne Times yesterday published a sardonic article on my position on the proposal for parking meters along Richmond's Yarra Boulevard.

As we get closer to the Council election we can expect further distortions from the mainstream media.

Here is a letter I have written in reply - it will be interesting to see if they publish it.





Dear Editor,



Your cynical article last week implied I was betraying my principles and even supporting the privatisation of public land by voting against parking meters along Yarra Boulevard. My vote stemmed from a consistent approach of putting the needs of residents and workers first.

These meters are a revenue-raising exercise by a Council that has just hiked up rates again (22% over the past four years). The meters will cost Melbourne Girls College staff about $900 a year and make Council $90,000.

Two months ago, I asked GE to dip into their US$22.5 billion profits to cover the cost of meters for their staff. They offered $30,000 a year to Council if meters didn't go ahead. I suggested Council negotiate to get a higher contribution.

It would be much better if the Council could raise the $90,000 from GE, who can more than afford it, rather than slugging local workers and ratepayers. After all GE should be providing ample on-site parking for their staff anyway.

There was no suggestion that the Boulevard would be 'privatised' for the sole use for local workers - that was a furphy put up by all the other pro-parking meter Councillors.

Your feigned outrage that "employees would use the public road to park their own private cars all day" shows an attitude out-of-touch with the reality faced by working people and rate-payers in Yarra.

Regards

Stephen Jolly, Councillor City of Yarra