www.MyPE.co.za : To see how hard working Ward Councillors go about their jobs, see Ward 2‘s councillor, Dean Biddulph‘s newsletter below, and don’t forget to see what Jeremy Davis has been up to in Ward 5; Andre Goosen in Ward 3; Retief Odendaal in Ward 6, Heinrich Muller in Ward 9, Gustav Rautenbach in Ward 8, and Stanford Slabbert in Ward 1.
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From Councillor Dean Biddulph …
- Christmas Greetings
- Volunteer to Make a Difference
- DA Ward 2 – Looking Back on 2010
- Meet Your Man in the Metro
I can’t believe that yet another year has flown by so quickly. It was a year that saw many highs and lows, a year in which our country successfully hosted the greatest show on earth, the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
National pride brimmed over and for four glorious weeks, we proudly took our place on the world stage, showcasing our country and an event which showed the world what we are capable of if we all pull together.
For four weeks this administration was were able to run our city well, putting our best foot forward to both locals and the many thousands of guests who visited our corner of the world.
Crime was at an all time low and serious incidents were, for a brief time, simply forgotten.
The sad reality currently facing the people of our metro is that the World Cup euphoria turned out to be little more than a brief glimpse of what can really be achieved.
The financial chickens have come home to roost with a vengeance and the most tragic of consequences. The unfettered spending spree that preceded the world cup came at the price of the most basic service delivery, and the hangover is being acutely felt by all who live in the metro.
The cash crisis facing our city has resulted in the current state of the affairs where the most fundamental services such as grass cutting, security and beach cleaning have had their budgets slashed to the bone.
Major capital projects in our own ward such as the major storm water upgrades have been shelved and I am aware of certain instances where metro employees have had to pay for equipment repairs out of their own pockets to keep their departments working.
It would appear that the controversial suspension of our Municipal Manager has now reached a conclusion – which has resulted in fruitless and wasteful exepnditure running into millions of rands and the loss of a most capable administrator who, in the two years preceding his demise returned unqualified audits for our metro.
The city continues to be held firmly in the grip of the worst drought in recorded history with little hope of any quick relief and whilst the drought relief assistance requests to national government critically continues to drag along.
You may well be wondering at this point when I might reveal some good news – the reality is that good news remains on a distant horizon, one populated by a DA controlled administration.
As long as our city remains unbder the control of an inefficient local government who has proven time and time again their patent inability to deliver: an inability to to deliver; an inability to create much needed jobs for all those who suffer in the unemployment lines, an inability to build quality houses for the homeless and the worn out promise of a better life for all – we will ALL suffer the consequences.
The DA are totally committed to taking control of this metro in the 2011 Municipal Elections. This is based on the results of the 2010 General Election where the DA were able to hang on to the barest of majorities accumulating only 50.4 % of all votes cast in the metro.
Each and every one of you reading this letter have the oppotunity to make a difference and to make the change necessary to bring about a stable local government. One that will be responsive to the needs of all the people of the metro and one that will bring to the people of the metro a city that we all glimpsed during the world cup – the city we all deserve.
The message is simple – If you vote, We all win.
And so it is that we once again find ourselves at that most special time of the year.
Christmas is the time where hopefully we all have a brief opportunity to get a little rest, to spend some real, meaningful, quality time with our families and those that we love.
We should not forget that it is also always a time for some quiet contemplation and to reflect on all that has passed during the previous year.
It has been a privilege and my pleasure to serve all of you, the residents of Ward 2 – and I give you my word to continue serving with dedication and commitment in bring about meaningful, real changes and improvement to the area where we live and to ensuring that you have a voice in the metro.
I have truly been blessed with a most wonderful family, who support me unreservedly and I remain eternally grateful for the support and love of my beautiful wife Lynne and my precious children, Cullen, Jenna & Troy.
I am grateful too for the many blessings of good health and family, friends & colleagues who were always there to offer support and friendship.
It is my sincere wish that 2011 will hold similar blessings for each and every one of you and that as a country we can begin to reach a level of understanding, compassion and respect for our fellow countrymen that has eluded us in the past and that in 2011 this metro, our home, gets the government it deserves.
From Myself, Lynne, Cullen, Jenna & Troy – may you all have a peaceful, happy and truly Blessed holiday season.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
Volunteer to make a difference
The 2010 Municipal Election is set to be a watershed election for our metro in particular. This metro has been declared a strategic municipality for the DA and we are planning to take over the metro.
If you would like to be part of the team that makes this a reality and would like to help, please call Ann on 041 585 0515 or Celeste Barker, our Branch Chair on 083 265 2216.
We need your help !!!
DA Ward 2 – Looking back on 2010
- 2010 International Coastal Clean Up – DA Ward 2 councillor Dean Biddulph & family, along with Bobby Stevenson MPL and Ward 2 community members helped to clean up at Pollock Beach.
- Dog awareness walk with Ward 2 Branch – Ward 2 Cllr Dean Biddulph and branch members encourage responsible dog ownership.
- Ward 2 and DA Youth clean up Bayworld – Ward 2 Cllr Dean Biddulph and family, along with DA Youth members regularly give up free time on weekends to help at Bayworld.
- Public Protest for Free Media – Retief Odendaal and Dean Biddulph – DA Councillors attended the recent protest held in support of free media.
- South African Principals Association – Cllr Dean Biddulph met with principals from Ward 2 and South African Principal’s Association to discuss education challenges.
- 2010 DAY & DASO Soccer Tournament – Ward 2 Cllr Dean Biddulph played goalie on the winning team at the 2010 DA Youth & DA Student Organisation Soccer Day. (I wonder if he would have stoppped a goal from The Incredible Blur, though?)
- DA 2010 Soccer World Cup city tour – Ward 2 Cllr Dean Biddulph handed out soccer goodies during the DA 2010 City Tour.
- Ward 2 water point SPAR men’s 10KM.
- Beachfront Promenade upgrade 2010 – Cllr Dean Biddulph tackled the worst looking stretch of the beachfront promenade this year and it has been completely resurfaced.
- DA Ward 2 Councillor accepted the MyPE charity challenge – DA Ward 2 Councillor, Dean Biddulph was tackled by the MyPE charity thugs to get a haircut or donate to charity.
- Launch of Save Bayworld Initiative – Dean Biddulph & his son Troy attended the launch of the Save Bayworld Initiative.
Dean Biddulph, your councillor in Ward 2, is a born and raised Port Elizabethan and is a resident of Humewood. He is happily married to Lynne with three young children – Cullen, Jenna and Troy.
Since assuming office in 2008 he has been on the frontline in efforts to have the manganese ore facility & tank farm removed from the Southern beachfront.
This effort culminated in the handing over of a petition signed by over 6000 residents to the mayor as well as to the ministers responsible for the oversight of these facilities. In addition Dean has put numerous motions and questions to council covering these and other topics.
A firm commitment has since been given by Transnet that these facilities will be relocated in the next three to five years. Biddulph continues to press the metro for a formal memorandum of understanding committing to actual dates and time-frames.
Dean remains unwaveringly “Your man in the metro” committed to his election promise of a cleaner, greener and safer ward having been responsible for the planting of over five hundred indigenous trees in the ward since he was elected.
He is involved in various anti-crime & other initiatives aimed at uplifting our beachfront & reducing inner-city decay.
Biddulph serves on the Portfolio Committee for Recreation & Culture, the Save Our City Committee and also the Mayoral Task Team for Heritage.
How can I be of assistance? Please feel free to contact me.
Ward 2
Latest posts by Ward 2 (see all)
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- Ward 2 Report – September 2013 - 10 September 2013
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- Ward 2 May-June Report - 31 May 2013
