Listening or being stone deaf?

This week's Leader newspaper features a large colour photo of newly elected Mayor Whiteside. Her stated manifesto is 'listening to the community'. Well, according to reliable sources, last night's council meeting was the first real opportunity for this statement to be put into practice. All failed dismally to provide credence to the claim that such statements are nothing more than rhetoric, without substance. It appears that an objector was denied permission to address council on a planning issue. Also, a petition was refused tabling. Now this is what I really call 'listening to the community'!! If rules and regulations are allowed to over-ride the community's right to express their views, then how on earth can councillors be said to be 'listening to the community'. Why do they repeatedly permit the letter of the law to over-ride the spirit of the law? This has been far from an auspicious start by our newly elected representatives. I sincerely hope that this represents nothing more than an aberration and will be immediately remedied. If not, then the community has every right to disbelieve in such manifestoes as uttered by Whiteside.