Councillor's rethinks resignation

Wick community councillor's comeback ultimatum


A WICK community councillor, who dramatically resigned earlier this month, saying she had had enough of a fellow member’s obstructive attitude, has had second thoughts.
Wendy Campbell said this week that she is prepared to “give it another go” for a trial period, but warned that that if new member Laurel Bush doesn’t “mend his ways”, she will call it a day.
Pub owner Mrs Campbell, walked out of an acrimonious sitting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council after simmering discontent over Mr Bush’s approach to council affairs boiled over. Mr Bush found himself on the receiving end of some blunt home truths, accompanied by some unconstitutional language.
Since joining the council last year, Mr Bush had continually questioned the way it was run and claimed it wasn’t transparent enough. He even described the December sitting as “incompetent” and “invalid”. The latest trouble began at this month’s meeting when Mr Bush circulated a paper questioning the council’s sub-groups and their constitutions and actions.
A frustrated Mrs Campbell invited Mr Bush to become a member of all the groups and rapped: “ All you have done since you came on this council is to criticise it. Are you going to come on the groups...yes, or no, instead of criticising us and giving us headaches and all this crap.”
Chairwoman, Coreen Campbell also voiced her concern to Mr Bush, saying: “I came on the community council to help get things done. None of us can understand why you decided to become a community councillor.”
Mr Bush: “It is something I am very keen on.”
Mrs Campbell: “We would prefer if you were positive rather than negative.” Following further exchanges, she rose, indicating she was resigning and replying to a well-meaning member who commented, as she headed for the door: “You’ll be back”, declared “I don’t think so”.
Councillor Geraldine Durrand, commenting on the resignation predicted: “This is going to happen, more and more.”
There followed further exchanges between members and Mr Bush over his attitude to council affairs and whether or not the organisation was sufficiently transparent or not.
Mrs Campbell said yesterday (Tuesday) that her council colleagues and friends had persuaded her to reconsider her decision to resign, saying she should not allow herself to be ‘driven’ out of the community council.
She said: “I’m going to come back and we’ll see how it goes. But whether or not I stay, will depend on how Mr Bush conducts himself.”
That will become clear at the next meeting of the community council, on March 7.