I got home today and poking out of my letter box was a glossy flyer from Medway Labour introducing Dave Colman, the new(ish) Labour councillor for Gillingham South. Now I know that it would be easy for me to be critical of him just because he is not a Lib Dem or because he replaced Stephen Kearney who I consider a friend even though he didn't canvas my vote at all... BUT
You'd be wrong. I'm not that tribal - it gets in the way of things and distracts from the true issues of representing the constituents and the public don't like it as it does look like childish fighting.
I've always believed credit and criticism where its due and I've tried to write as balanced as possible levelling criticism at anyone who I felt deserved it.
So Dave Colman... what did the flyer say?Well it is pretty straight forward, although glossy with colour photographs (ergo cost money that we don't have.) of Cllr Colman carrying out his duties around the ward and talking to people about their problems.
So far he has done York Avenue, College Road, May Road and Fredrick road with his team.
He's also acted on complaints from York Ave concerning the trees in the Hospital grounds that are "out of control" by reporting it to the Hospital Foundation trust and will report back when there are results.
He is also taking action on Crime and is meeting with the Neighbourhood watch team in College avenue and appeals to other watches to contact him if they would like to consult etc. (his full contact details are listed on the back.) Or at his monthly surgery at Gillingham library.
There is also the filler about personal life and history.
I'd like to congratulate Dave Colman on getting elected and wish him the best of luck over the next four years or so and I hope he represents the needs of the people of Gillingham South well and will work with our team, Geoff Juby and Shelia Kearney.
It is a promising start for Cllr Colman, especially as the Lib Dem team haven't put anything out yet, I'm sure they will and past work speaks volumes for them as councillors.
(This past work can be read about here;http://gingerliberal.blogspot.com/2011/04/local-elections-part-ii-and-why-im.html )
As Palpatine said to a young Anakin Skywalkwer in Phantom Menace... I'll be watching your career with great interest.
From what you write, Mr Colman sounds promising; though I have been caught out before and had to be corrected with info about a Labour candidate in Rochester West, so am cautiously optimistic at best.
ReplyDeleteI'd appreciate a good-quality scan of his literature for my library, or if you can't do that yourself a loan of the document(s) to scan and return.
He seems to be methodical, starting from the SW corner on the hospital boundary (and I must check out those trees when I'm next up there, 2 weeks from now) and presumably working outward from there.
It is, as you rightly imply, the work 'on the ground' in the ward that is most important to residents, and if that work really is tackled for their benefit rather than for party political gain (which most Labour cllrs tend to do most of the time) then he could well turn out to be an asset to the ward and its people.
I have for years argued for a better quality of Labour, as that gives greater genuine choice. It has been a continual disappointment to me to find that the newer arrivals have usually turned out to be as bad, tribal, nasty and dishonest as the old hands.
Perhaps at long last I and the rest of us might be about to receive a pleasant surprise...