Cr Tully uses blog to needle his colleague

Peter Foley | 3rd July 2009

HARDLY the shy, retiring type when it comes to self-promotion, Paul Tully has accused fellow Ipswich councillor David Pahlke of the same charge.

Cr Tully used his blog to needle Cr Pahlke about using tales of a ghost in a hotel he part-owns at Rosewood to drum up business.

“When it comes to publicity, the publican of the Rosewood Hotel, David Pahlke - who masquerades as the local councillor - has risen to the top of his profession,” Cr Tully wrote.

“In a grand stunt, he has called professional ghost busters into the pub who - surprise, surprise - came up with nothing but a few cold drafts blowing through the creaky windows and the usual dose of rising damp.

“Things must be tough for Big Dave when he has to hire ghost busters from Brisbane to encourage a few more souls into the public bar.”

Cr Tully listed other examples of his colleague's supposed image management including coming to a council budget announcement wearing a yellow suit and carrying a “Mafia-style violin case.”

Asked to respond, Cr Pahlke said the blog post was a case of the pot calling the kettle black but added it had a sinister overtone.

“It's all because I voted against banning circus animals at the council meeting on Tuesday,” Cr Pahlke said.

“The vote was very close and I was one of the councillors who voted not to ban them.

“I'm not going to lower myself; I'm not going to respond in kind. I will vote independently all the time, the way I think is the best.

“I'm just very disappointed he decided to get personal. It's very grubby.”