A recent post said that the people of Bega want Tony Allen as Mayor. Just how was that conclusion reached?

The mayor needs to be elected by the majority of residents, and the vote on that one should have been included in the council election. This way it works out now is who has the most mates among the councillors.

Following that the mayor owes those who voted them in. Doesn’t sound like it will do any good for the residents.

Frank Pearce Bega    

Now that the dust has settled and the new council has been inducted, I would like to warmly congratulate all nine elected councillors.

While we enjoyed a campaign of robust debate and differing ideas, it is important to take a moment to congratulate those successful.

It would be a very special and memorable occasion for the incoming councillors, particularly those elected for the first time, and I wish them all the very best in this term of local government.

May they serve our community well!

I also thank my fellow candidates who also were not elected this time.

While this is always a disappointing experience, it is important to note that every single candidate did a great service to our local democracy by standing up and putting their beliefs and values on the line.

With a wide range of candidates from many walks of life, all should be proud they had the courage to help contribute to a debate of ideas and helped give our community many different ideas and outlooks to chose from.

Well done for having a go and thank you for what I found to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Finally, to those who supported me personally, I would like to give my most sincere thanks and extend my warm gratitude.

It was a wonderful experience getting to know this community that I love even better and to hear the concerns and ideas from all corners of the Valley was truly a wonderful learning experience indeed.

Thank you to you all.

Tas Fitzer, Tathra

I would like to comment on the Bega District News’ front page article on September 13, “Allen leads the pack” on the BVSC elections.

The choice of word “pack” in this context is denigrating and insulting to Bega Valley citizens who are willing to give their time to try and represent you and assist in achieving the best possible outcomes for our shire. 

It is no easy task – mostly no thank you’s, sometimes brickbats.

Encourage and support them.

Moira Collins, Bega 

While former Councillor Michael (you can call me “Mike”) Britten is as free as the rest of us to march to the beat of his own drum, residents of the Bega Valley Shire were equally free to select different drummers when they went to the polls on September 10 (BDN, September 23).

And while few might give credence to the views of the great sporting cheat Lance Armstrong, I think that his words on the subject of winning and losing are worth considering:

“When you win, you don't examine it very much, except to congratulate yourself. You easily, and wrongly, assume it has something to do with your rare qualities as a person. 

“Losing on the other hand, really does say something about who you are. Among other things it measures are: do you blame others, or do you own the loss? Do you analyze your failure, or just complain about bad luck?

“Sometimes losing shows you for who you really are.”

John Richardson, Wallagoot