Mayor Reg Kidd has labelled the author of a letter about the proposed Anson Street mall "gutless" and said they should emerge from the shadows, take part in democracy and have their say in an open forum.
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The fake letter, purportedly from "your mayor of Orange", was circulating around town on Monday.
The handwritten, unsigned and photocopied letter was written entirely in capital letters, with a selection of words underlined for emphasis. The subject of the letter - Anson Street Mall Atrocious - was made up of cutout letters, a la TV drama ransom notes or the Sex Pistols' legendary Never Mind The Bollocks... LP cover from 1977.
It was clear from the note that the author was not a fan of the proposed Anson Street mall, nor Indian myna birds.
"As your mayor of Orange I will not risk burning million$ of my hard-working ratepayers dollars for a million$ of dollar$ make-over of the most monotonous block of, in Anson street, with Woolworths massive and long big brick blank wall plus the ugly open car park! eyesores only!" the letter read.
"As your mayor even a big beautiful mural on that black boring Woolies wall would not bring in tourists - only Indian Minor birds.
"And be assured Anson Street shop owners as your mayor I will not be bullied into building this already 'murdered mall' that will only attract Indian Minor birds of which I saw a flock in Edina Cresent last week, yes Edina Cres., next stop Anson Street.
"So, be absolutely assured residents and shop owners of Anson Street, council will not be squandering millions of ratepayers money as my internal instincts tells me. This proposed mall will ultimately be dubbed the Maharajah Mall. Yes indeed: the Maharajah Mall, yes full of Indian Minor minor birds and not my wishful tourists! The councillor that said: the cabbies can go to the end of the cul-de-sac should be thrown into Lake Canobolas ... Same copy to all Anson Street shops."
Cr Kidd said distributing a letter that people may confuse for something he had written was "a pretty low act", and encouraged all members of the community to make their views known to council.
He agreed with the letter writer about myna birds.
"I'm against them," he said. "I've been on a statewide committee on invasive species, and I agree wholeheartedly. They have no place in our ecology, they make a mess, rob other birds' nests and they are prolific breeders."
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