Ed, I rolled out of bed the other morning to grab the newspaper and read about the 12 day “Parenting Festival” which has been funded for the last 3 years by our cash-strapped Clarence Valley Council and managed by their Economic Development Unit (EDU). I’m not sure how the EDU identified all the bad parents to invite but I’m sure that their parenting skills improved when they learned from one keynote speaker that “we’ve created a cotton-ball society by trying to solve their children’s’ problems”….riveting stuff…. I wonder what this talkfest cost? I wonder how they track the success? I wonder how our rate-paying pensioners feel about contributing funds to this “festival” while calculating how to live and still meet the massive cost increase of council’s proposed Special Rate Variation? The council EDU have also “managed” our local Visitor Information Centres (VIC) for the last 3 years and they have made such a shocking mess that the only solution they can offer councillors is to close down the VICs and lease them or sell them off. A large part of this Valley’s future depends upon growth of local tourism and the EDU’s plans are catastrophic….believe me….I’ve read them. If our councillors genuinely want to build a more efficient, a more credible council they should take a long, hard look at the EDU and the hundreds of thousands of dollars it consumes and wastes each year. Bill Day – Former Manager, Clarence River Tourism. Former Councillor, Maclean Shire Council, Yamba.