Oh, too much goodness!
I'm just going to cut and paste the article from the Herald, because one day it will go away, and I want this to be remembered!
Moths in their wallets
By Joel Gibson and Tim Dick
November 7, 2005
Today we launch a campaign against tight-arses. We are against those who ask for petrol money when they take you to the beach, those with honesty boxes next to their telephone, and Woollahra Municipal Council.
At its plush harbourside Double Bay headquarters last week, two Greens councillors asked for a $1000 donation to a Pakistan earthquake relief fund.
The City of Sydney gave $50,000, while Marrickville, Waverley, Leichhardt, Randwick and Canterbury councils gave $5000 each. Even little Cessnock chipped in $1000.
But not Woollahra. While its Mayor, Andrew Petrie, was in hospital - he's still battling serious complications from fat surgery - his deputy, Marcus Ehrlich, and seven councillors combined to keep the $1000 firmly in Double Pay, where it's needed most.
Earlier this year, Woollahra voted to keep its pre-meeting ratepayer-funded booze-up (at $7657 a year).
Ehrlich didn't call us back, but it looks like a quite excellent example of egregious tightfistedness. Bravo. Can you top it? Send your nominations for tight-arse of the year to spike@smh.com.au
The list
Five things Woollahra Council could do with its $1000:
- Distribute the money to its 53,332 residents (1.9 cents each).
- Buy 28 bottles of Chandon ($35 each) for the next meeting.
- Send 476 postcards ($1 each, plus $1.10 postage) to Kashmiri refugee camps telling them how wonderful life is in Woollahra.
- Take five councillors to Tetsuya's for a degustation dinner ($180, plus $100 for taxis).
- Register tightarse.com.au ($127) and post photos of the change under the words: ha ha ha, it's all ours!
Moths in their wallets
By Joel Gibson and Tim Dick
November 7, 2005
Today we launch a campaign against tight-arses. We are against those who ask for petrol money when they take you to the beach, those with honesty boxes next to their telephone, and Woollahra Municipal Council.
At its plush harbourside Double Bay headquarters last week, two Greens councillors asked for a $1000 donation to a Pakistan earthquake relief fund.
The City of Sydney gave $50,000, while Marrickville, Waverley, Leichhardt, Randwick and Canterbury councils gave $5000 each. Even little Cessnock chipped in $1000.
But not Woollahra. While its Mayor, Andrew Petrie, was in hospital - he's still battling serious complications from fat surgery - his deputy, Marcus Ehrlich, and seven councillors combined to keep the $1000 firmly in Double Pay, where it's needed most.
Earlier this year, Woollahra voted to keep its pre-meeting ratepayer-funded booze-up (at $7657 a year).
Ehrlich didn't call us back, but it looks like a quite excellent example of egregious tightfistedness. Bravo. Can you top it? Send your nominations for tight-arse of the year to spike@smh.com.au
The list
Five things Woollahra Council could do with its $1000:
- Distribute the money to its 53,332 residents (1.9 cents each).
- Buy 28 bottles of Chandon ($35 each) for the next meeting.
- Send 476 postcards ($1 each, plus $1.10 postage) to Kashmiri refugee camps telling them how wonderful life is in Woollahra.
- Take five councillors to Tetsuya's for a degustation dinner ($180, plus $100 for taxis).
- Register tightarse.com.au ($127) and post photos of the change under the words: ha ha ha, it's all ours!