"But Believe me, you are An Incompetent Fool, And will be Considered That for the Rest of Your Life, And Should you be Stupid enough to Stand for Council, I'll Destroy You."
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An ugly and potentially defamatory electioneering war has broken out in the usually quiet historic town of Dunolly as the Central Goldfields Shire prepares to return to participatory democracy.
Flynn Ward candidate Marion Da Costa has referred emails and pamphlet material to Victoria Police, the Victorian Electoral Commission and the Local Government Inspectorate, after former CGSC councillor John D Smith wrote to her suggesting her nomination in forthcoming council elections was fraudulent and should be withdrawn.
Mr Smith was a councillor in the ward from 2008 until 2013, defeating Ms Da Costa in Central Goldfields in 2008.
In a series of inflammatory emails, apparently sent by Mr Smith, he attacked Ms Da Costa as 'a Pariah in Dunolly' and described her as suffering from 'a Delusion of Grandeur, way above your Mental Capacity'.
"...everything you touch is a Disaster and a Monumental Stuff up, Just Look at all your Abject Failures, from all the Committee's (sic) you've been on... Take Note that I will Do All in My Power to Inform the Flynn Ward residents of your Incompetent Person... Your (sic) Just Looking for a Councillor Allowance to line your Pocket."
In a Trumpian flourish at the end of one message believed to have been sent by Mr Smith he declares:
"I'm sure Flynn Ward Residents will Remember the Amount of Progress under my time in Council, which was Unprecedented in the Shires History, and that's Because I Knew what I was talking about... Please Keep Your Nose Out of Local Government, your far to Stupid to do the Job (sic)...'
Ms Da Costa's solicitor has written to Mr Smith asking him to desist.
Mr Smith also attacked Dunolly resident Judy Meldrum, who was on the committee of Dunolly and District Incorporated (DDI) with Ms Da Costa and helped secure Creative Victoria grants for a series of community artworks designed in collaboration with internationally-recognised artist Deborah Halpern.
The artworks caused some division in Dunolly, with a ratepayer group complaining the 'arty stuff' didn't fit in with the historic landscape and drove house prices up.
"The Rubbish that you have promented (sic) has Fallen Apart, Which Shows that your a Dismal Failure ...you are An Incompetent Fool, and will be Considered That for the Rest of Your Life..." Mr Smith wrote.
Please Keep Your Nose Out of Local Government, your far to Stupid to do the Job
- Former Central Goldfields councillor
An anonymous flyer letterboxed around the town last weekend also accused Ms Da Costa of writing a 'suspicious cheque' while secretary of DDI, and of wanting Dunolly to become 'World Heritage'.
'The ultimate aim of World Heritage is to restrict access to the forests,' the flyer claimed.
Ms Da Costa says she's a loss to understand the campaign, but believed Mr Smith had been confrontational with her since the 2008 elections.
"I have no idea what his issues are," Ms Da Costa says. "Even when I stood for council in 2008 he was not... particularly happy with me. I don't know why he has written these particular letters to me; I know he's sent these letters to people on council in the past.
"It hasn't discouraged me running as a candidate, but I must say Saturday's flyer has set me back a bit. I don't know where that came from, but it does relate to an article published in July in the Welcome Record."
The Welcome Record is Dunolly's community paper. The article referred to is a letter questioning the propriety of the financing of the Halpern sculptures, and accusing Ms Da Costa of using the project as a 'cash cow'.
Dunolly resident Fiona Lindsay helped auspice funding for the community sculptures, and was also the subject of one of Smith's emails.
Speaking to The Courier, Ms Lindsay said there was no basis to any claim of improper financial behaviour during the art project, and all invoices had been approved by Creative Victoria.
"It's saddening to see how what should be a refreshing return to local council elections has grown very sour," Ms Lindsay said.
Ms Da Costa's opponent in Flynn Ward Liesbeth Long has condemned the letters and the flyer, while admitting she published an edited letter of support from John Smith in the Welcome Record.
"I have had nothing to do with, or know anything about, any of this," Ms Long said. "It's slanderous stuff, and when I saw the flyer I contacted Marion to say how sorry I was. I don't agree with any of it."
Ms Da Costa said she accepts Ms Long was not involved in the production of the material.
John D Smith did not return calls to The Courier.
Central Goldfields Shire's councillors were removed and the council placed in administration in 2017 after extensive mismanagement was revealed by a Local Government Inspectorate investigation.