The depth and emotion of his criticism of a fully independent review agency being the Joint Regional Planning Panel is quite disrespectful in his scathing attack on its make-up and integrity.

Apart from council’s “five years of intense planning” for a multi storey car-park (MSCP), he cannot accept the umpire’s decision on deferment of the development application on one particularly critical ground being rightful preservation of iconic trees along the boundaries of the Berry/Worrigee Streets car park (BWSCP).

His accusation against council as regards summary tree removal should not have been based on the removal of three trees from the southern boundary of the BWSCP as this was solely due to these trees being deemed unsafe by the council arborist.

They were removed for no other reason than being structurally unsound and therefore a danger if not removed.

Furthermore, Mr Sewell has blatantly disregarded the findings of the 2015 Bitzios Parking Strategy.

That report states that there is no more than a 71 per cent occupancy rate for parking throughout the CBD during weekdays with no recommendation for a MSCP and certainly not to the degree of 650 spaces over five levels promoted by Mr Sewell and his cohorts.

It is not difficult to imagine how up to $20 million dollars required to build a MSCP could be better spent by council in doing the greatest amount of good over the whole of the Shoalhaven considering the need to finance all the demands for infrastructure such as extension/maintenance of roads for starters.

Finally, Mr Sewell has no right to speak for the non-existent Nowra CBD Car Parking Development Committee as it was disbanded some years ago.

I have lived in the Nowra area all my life and I was very offended by the program on the ABC, End of the Line. Nowra didn’t cause these people to become addicted to drugs. It was their choice. If they hate Nowra so much why don’t they do what Mr Abood did and relocate?

Mr Boucher has been calling for a cleanout of Shoalhaven City Council for as long as I have been on council (eight years). Yet he only offers conjecture not facts on why this is the case. There have been three elections in that period and plenty of opportunity for change.

Mr Boucher demands someone who has experience running multimillion dollar private enterprise be brought in - council did employ a very effective Chief Financial Officer who came from that very background. Shoalhaven City Council has been audited every year without failing once. Stump up with evidence or stop with undermining the integrity of professionally qualified staff.

I have offered Mr Boucher on at least two occasions to come and meet staff or the general manager to go through any specific issues he might have. To date no specific issue has been brought to my attention. If a toilet block could actually be built for $30,000 I am sure everyone would jump at that opportunity.

Like all other councillors I am super happy to listen to ideas on how to save money and which service should be cut. I am equally happy to hear of any misconduct that might need investigating.

We don’t all have to join hands but we owe it to ourselves and the fate of our city’s future to have a fact based discussion on rates. The rate rise has been characterised as ‘belonging’ to one political group or another. It doesn’t. Any rate rise is a mechanism to serve the whole city.  Council isn’t a corporation trying to bleed its citizens to death but it is an organization that serves us.