The document featured criticisms on issues including council’s performance on Griffith’s housing crisis and a perceived lack of consultation on council spending.

Council made the right move and addressed the concerns during its latest meeting, and now wait for any potential fallout from complaints filed to Member for Murray Austin Evans and the Office of Local Government.

Responding to the criticisms beyond the official channels has generally offered little substance or influence in a potential investigation.

It’s a fact still lost on some of our leaders at council and the chamber, whose history of public spats and irrelevant tirades resigns the bodies to mortal-enemy status. 

Cr Dal Broi continued this tradition following the chamber’s submission calling for its president Paul Pierotti to resign, then justified his disgust saying, “Griffith City Council was a major sponsor of the business awards, then we get this tirade of criticism. I can only then deduct the leadership has got to take a good look at themselves”.

Council’s major sponsorship of the chamber’s awards event doesn’t make it immune to criticism from anyone.

Nothing does, and some serious questions need to be asked if this is an expectation our mayor has regarding the operation of local government.

Those elected to represent the community accept their positions knowing their decisions will be criticised.

Any criticisms landed on council and the mayor, tirades or not, are designed to formally question their performance, so as to hold them to account and encourage the best possible results for the communities they serve.

The merit of all criticism always comes out in the wash, and ‘tirades’ almost always fall flat.

Voters are smart enough to differentiate between fluff and substance, and any questions asked or answered with anything but factual rebuttal are actually further damaging the validity of those spruiking it.

The sooner these important groups leave the fluff out, better accept criticism and start working together, the sooner their communities will begin taking them more seriously.