Mayor Thorley on the defensive yet again ...

This time over the use of ratepayers' funds in an attempt to get people to her Water Futures forums.

CADS organises a community water meeting and almost 1000 attend.

The Yes campaign cannot get people to attend their water forums so are now mailing movie passes in an attempt to get people to turn up.

Spot the campaign in trouble.

No wonder she is now going after the children.

Or is Mayor Thorley just trying to use the $465,000 in ratepayers' funds the Yes campaign allocated for itself by 29 July?


From the Chronicle:

Thorley scoffs at bribe claims

30 June 2006

By Greg Berghofer

Toowoomba Mayor Dianne Thorley has rejected suggestions movie tickets offered as inducement to attend council-run water forums are bribes.

As part of the ratepayer-funded campaign in recent weeks, some businesses have been posted invitations to attend the forums at Grand Central Cinema with the added inducement of being able to stay for a free screening of The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

"The biggest issue is to get business out and that's the way we decided to do it so we could put the facts in front of people," Cr Thorley said.

"We're not actually telling them how to vote, but they could watch a movie if they wanted. If not, they could go (after the presentation)."

Cr Thorley said she didn't believe the movie issue could be considered a bribe.

"I don't think you could bribe people with a movie – not the people of Toowoomba – they're smarter than that."

The ticket offer was considered the most cost-effective.

"Telemarketing was looked at but it was considered intrusive as it was going into people's homes when they're at home having dinner," she said.

A council spokesman said the cost of tickets depended on the take-up rate because the cinema's prices were on a sliding scale.

An approximate cost was $8 a head, comparable to costs of forums held at community halls if the halls didn't have audio-visual equipment.

"No" voting councillor Lyle Shelton said the free tickets offer was a waste of ratepayers' money.

Source - Chronicle - Movie pass madness.


Spot the inconsistency in Mayor Thorley's story?

She says she wants to get businesses to her forums so she's mailing movie passes to businesses.

Reason? It's not as intrusive as telemarking because you'd be ringing homes at dinner time.

But she wants businesses to attend. Wouldn't you ring them during business hours?

Why go to the bother of tracking down business owners' home telephone numbers to give to telemarketers.

Oops, you're not supposed to spot the holes in Mayor Thorley's arguments. You're just meant to swallow them. Like the recycled sewage ...