The Editor,

Dear Sir,

Regarding your editorial (SHN 20/3/02) bemoaning the lack of candidates for the Council by-election on May 11,and promising "fair and balanced coverage" to all who stood.

Prospective candidates would be overjoyed if they were to receive the amount of coverage and praise that has been bestowed upon Nick Campbell-Jones by your paper.

This has included full-page intimate lifestyle type profiles, numerous prominent smaller articles and many favourable mentions in columns from your staff.

As you would know a council by-election is pretty much a straight popularity poll of candidates, there ares no second chances.

Given your paper's promotion of one particular person, you exert a strong influence on the result.

I would hope ratepayers would like to see other than developers and real estate agents held up as the ideal people to represent us on Council.

If we are to see our lifestyle and environment maintained and improved we must be prepared to question the direction we will take.

Jim Clark

22 Garland Rd,

Bundanoon.