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Steve Wheeler - The man who never Was ... Going to resign
(September 04, 2011)
.... GOING TO RESIGN
IT seems that local Tories are so fearful of a by-election in Warminster that pressure is being applied to absent councillor Steve Wheeler to hold back from resigning.
Mr Wheeler, who has been reported as moving to Weymouth, is still a member of the town council as he has met the minimum attendance requirements of that body - once every six months.
He needs only to attend another three meetings spread
over the next 18 months to prevent the council from having a vacancy.If a vacancy is declared there will certainly be a call for a by-election as the current body is widely regarded as 'the worst in living memory' (a quote from 80-year-old Alan Shephard's recent letter to the Warminster Journal).
Sometimes councillors have good reason for being absent, often through illness, and it is perfectly acceptable to give some leeway.
However when someone has moved to the other end of an adjacent county it should be common courtesy of the ruling group to allow an election, especially as they have an exception six-year term.
''Mr Wheeler has done nothing wrong of course but I don't think it will reflect well on the Conservative Party if they are seen to engage in this type of behaviour,'' said Steve Dancey.
''I won't miss Mr Wheeler as he was one of the eight Tories who foisted the Assembly Rooms project on us at huge cost and against the expressed wishes of the town.
''Not that many people will miss Mr Wheeler as I can't think of one thing that he did or said during the past four years, apart from vote in favour of that white elephant.''
Political procrastination however doesn't make a scrap of difference to what will happen in the long term to the current set of turkeys representing us - just look at some history locally
1980s West Wilts District Council - regularly dubbed 'the scandal council' by the national press - Tories almost wiped out in 1991 elections.
Mid 1990s - Salisbury District Council led by cllr Amy Hall opted to press on with a highly unpopular scheme for a car stack in the main car park - Every Conservative councillor in Salisbury defeated in the 1995 elections.
Mid 2000s - Tory council in Salisbury led by equally arrogant team signed a massively controversial multi-million pound deal to expand the council's Bourne Hill offices days before the 2007 elections. They were routed and replaced by an administration led by Paul Sample and Steve Fear.
Warminster Town Councillors must know what is in store for them following the 2013 elections - we just have to wait for this tired old fag end of a council to wind up.