“There is but one thing of real value — to cultivate truth and justice, and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men.” Marcus Aurelius
Another thing of value is to stand up for noble people, the humble that respond to the community and do not chase accolade.
The value of Peter Harle’s 30 years of experience is a reference point for the current Councillors of Liverpool City Council, and it is by its merit that he has been nominated as Deputy Mayor. Let’s not forget this. His razor-sharp intellect and memory on decisions that have been made early and even prior to his service as a Councillor are some of his greatest assets. Additionally, his longstanding relationship with community members and those that still attending LCIT meetings reinforces this. This is a man where age has been an asset and not weakened his resolve, but you can’t blame any citizen of Liverpool or Harle himself for losing hope as we see a Council that is repeatedly under investigation, removing CEOs at great financial cost, and losing grasp of the capabilities of Liverpool.
What does it take? Why can’t we simply remove the self-serving members of Council and stay true to people who champion for Liverpool, rather than using it as a stepping stone to further their political careers or personal interests. Do we need a news report that comments of what soft-drinks the Councillors were drinking in the Chamber, or can we highlight that any member of the public can view the Council meetings online and witness the circus.
But most importantly witness that Peter Harle has never made a racial claim against anyone. In fact the only people making inflammatory claims against Harle attacking his age, effectiveness and race were Councillor Ristevski and Mayor Manoun. With a note to the mayor of the absolute hypocrisy of labelling Peter Harle as a racist, while at the same time labelling him as English on the basis of his skin colour.
While we can refer to Harle’s German heritage, his proud service as an Australian serving his community in Liverpool has openly been on display at the numerous citizenship ceremonies he has officiated on behalf of Liverpool Council. We invite all members of the public to attend the Liverpool City Council meeting for yourselves to see how our elected representatives conduct themselves, and to see the stability that Peter Harle attempts to bring.
We would also welcome journalists from outside of Liverpool to refrain from making flippant and childish comments, and rather focus on what Liverpool residents and ratepayers are suffering through as a result of a degenerative Council. Peter Harle’s service has never been questioned before, until now where poor leaders focus on trying to find the splinter in his eye rather than seeing the log in their own.
Susie and Daniel Kneipp
LCIT Secretary and Treasurer