In a drama-charged few months in the town, a barney over the relocation

of the Visitor Information Centre has exploded into a movement aimed at punting the entire council.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson has been deluged with letters and faxes calling for the state government to 

step in, while an angry mob recently confronted councillors and staff at a “sit in” over changes to Chandos St.

The re-election of mayor Owen Hasler this week will only serve to inflame an already combustible issue.

The ubiquity of Facebook is also adding heat to the debate.

The age of social media has allowed opinions to be shared with quantum speed and allowed action groups to mobilise in a way previously unimaginable.

It has given rise to a mob mentality where, like lemmings over a cliff, people mimic and feed off each other’s outrage.

Sage advice to all councils: ignore community sentiment in the Facebook age at your peril.

Of course, Gunnedah residents have good reason to be outraged over the Chandos St one-way issue.

Messing with drivers’ daily commute is a perilous pursuit. 

Doing so without adequately consulting them is political harakiri.

A few lines at the back of a voluminous document does not constitute consultation on an issue that will affect the daily lives of thousands.

It’s as obvious as exclamation marks on a Facebook post that councillors misread the depth of public feeling and should consider reversing its decision.

If not, the masses will continue to revolt and the state government will be gifted the perfect opportunity to either install an administrator or, even worse, force a merger.

That the government is keen for smaller councils to merge is writ large in the recent recommendations of the Independent Local Government Review Panel.

As such, Gunnedah residents calling for council to be censured should be careful what they wish for.