The populist narrative this easy slur instills in communities may be an election winner for Ms Knight but are we really edified by blame shifting and slur? Should local government use the same rhetoric and demonise central state bureaucrats and politicians as being lazy and out of touch? Ratepayers, the people of this town put in more than half the funds to keep basic civic services in Ballarat functioning while state government continue to withdraw their fair share.

State government controls what rates councils charge and no doubt when particularly smaller councils are going broke and letting roads and infrastructure rot, they will mandate the need for double figure rate rises by limiting borrowings or other fiscal regulation and blame "greedy" councils again. But don't slur ordinary hard working council staff.

If state government mandates the inequitable rate system we have, don't kick local government for easy votes. All rural councils are falling behind in road and infrastructure repair and ratepayers are sick of it. Both our larger political parties have played the anti council card and we need to move on and discuss real answers not blame shift.

Next time you hit a pothole in Ballarat, think of the actual utility of your state government representatives, of both big parties, in fixing our growing road and infrastructure crisis and tell them we're sick of it and we expect better.

Cr Mark Harris, Ballarat City Councillor