Mystery over missing councillor

9:00am Saturday 9th February 2013 in News By Melanie Vass

WHERE ARE YOU? Councillor Anniina Davie, inset has gone off the radar WHERE ARE YOU? Councillor Anniina Davie, inset has gone off the radar

AN ELUSIVE Bournemouth councillor has gone off radar – with even her colleagues seemingly unaware of her whereabouts.

Winton East residents hoping to get in touch with their ward councillor Anniina Davie will have a tough job – her mobile does not work, her address is c/o the Town Hall and she is not responding to emails sent by the Echo.

The last council meeting she attended was on December 18. She sent apologies for not attending full council on January 22 but failed to attend two licensing meetings in January with no explanation.

Conservative Cllr Davie is entitled to a basic allowance of £9,290.60 and an extra £1,764 for her role on the licensing board.

According to the electoral roll she was living at an address in Queens Park but there was no sign of her there when the Echo visited.

Local businessman Wayne Sheppard said: “I find it disappointing we’re not being represented properly. It’s so important that Winton has its voice heard, otherwise everything happens in the town centre.

“Plus, if someone’s being paid for a job then they should be doing it.”

Cllr Davie’s ward colleague Theo Stratton did not want to comment on when he last saw her, saying he did not know enough about her circumstances.

But he said: “All I can really say is my concern is for the residents and whilst I think they deserve all three councillors being on the case, for the time being they have got myself and Johann (Cllr Johann Edward) who are fully committed and prepared to fight whatever battles they’ve got.”

The other Winton East councillor, Johann Edward was unavailable for comment.

There had been rumours Cllr Davie had moved to Finland but Cllr John Beesley, the leader of the council and of the Conservative group, said he did not believe this was the case and dismissed it as “mischief-making.”

A council spokesperson confirmed the authority received post for Cllr Davie which was delivered to her house once a week.

David Harrison, principal democratic services officer, said the borough was not “unduly concerned” about Cllr Davie at this stage. He said any residents unable to contact her should contact either Cllr Edward or Cllr Stratton.

Comments(42)

Tripod says...
9:13am Sat 9 Feb 13

If a Councillor can vanish (and not do what She's paid to do) for two months, it raises the question (again) why do we have so many of them when we obviously don't need them?

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jobsworthwatch says...
9:34am Sat 9 Feb 13

We should be able to deselect our councilors, in fact we should be able to deselect the whole council by referendum if necessary.

Check out :-

http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/news/article-
2275882/They-squeal-
cuts-truth-town-hall
s-spending--fleecing
-you.html#axzz2JulgR
3S6

Read the above and you will wonder why you ever bothered to vote for local government!

Report this post »

steve518 says...
9:54am Sat 9 Feb 13

Hopefully a few more will vanish

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skydriver says...
10:21am Sat 9 Feb 13

Tripod wrote:
If a Councillor can vanish (and not do what She's paid to do) for two months, it raises the question (again) why do we have so many of them when we obviously don't need them?
I trust this money she was getting and not earning wil be repaid!

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Lord Spring says...
10:43am Sat 9 Feb 13

I wonder if her bank account is still accepting credits. Borough Treasuer should withold until she surfaces.

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muscliffman says...
11:00am Sat 9 Feb 13

You could not just disappear like this in any normal form of employment without placing your post beyond grave risk. If the Councillor is on 'holiday', fair enough, but this fact should have been readily available well in advance to the public who trusted and voted for her - and of course Council colleagues.

Surely the leader of the Council ought to be doing a lot more than apparently shrugging his shoulders when one of our Councillor's goes so completely missing in this manner. He is in charge and should be in control of this unacceptable public interest situation. His disappointing response, as reported, suggests he neither is or particularly cares.

I wonder if the Town Hall have suspended any further public money payments to the Councillor pending an explanation for this inexplicable absence from all her duties? I trust, after Echo exposure, this will now be taken more seriously and the Town Hall will keep the good voters of Winton properly informed in this matter - something their completely absent representative has apparently failed to do.

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elaine191261 says...
11:09am Sat 9 Feb 13

Am I missing the point here ,but She is MISSING !!! Is it just her job or she missing altogether?? Echo report just seems to be only her job not concerned for her safety

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djd says...
11:32am Sat 9 Feb 13

Perhaps they took her away with the rubble from the I Max !!

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Bohochic72 says...
12:08pm Sat 9 Feb 13

elaine191261 wrote:
Am I missing the point here ,but She is MISSING !!! Is it just her job or she missing altogether?? Echo report just seems to be only her job not concerned for her safety
I read it that way as well, but knowing the hacks at the Echo, presumed she's not answering their questions. It'd be a different headline, albeit spurious, if she were actually missing.

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fedupwithfedupjobsworths says...
12:40pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Lord Spring wrote:
I wonder if her bank account is still accepting credits. Borough Treasuer should withold until she surfaces.
You are out of touch. The post of Borough Treasurer disappeared many years ago. The current job title is Executive Director Finance although the job name seems to change annually.

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Fred Kite says...
12:49pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Rotten Borough!

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Veryhappyincomer says...
12:54pm Sat 9 Feb 13

elaine191261 wrote:
Am I missing the point here ,but She is MISSING !!! Is it just her job or she missing altogether?? Echo report just seems to be only her job not concerned for her safety
I'm looking at it this way as well. A few years ago someone that I worked with went on holiday and never came back. The company eventually sacked him. A few days after he was sacked his badly decomposed body was found in the Lake District, which is where he had gone on holiday and it is believed he had accidentally fallen to his death.

So is she "missing" or just not answering calls?

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muscliffman says...
12:54pm Sat 9 Feb 13

fedupwithfedupjobswo
rths wrote:
Lord Spring wrote:
I wonder if her bank account is still accepting credits. Borough Treasuer should withold until she surfaces.
You are out of touch. The post of Borough Treasurer disappeared many years ago. The current job title is Executive Director Finance although the job name seems to change annually.
All the job titles at the Town Hall keep changing, usually making use of ever longer and grander words. Just look at some of them!

Naturally this process is intended to glorify themselves and to confuse us - as it is often accompanied by rises in salary and benefits.

In respect of this 'Councillor' being missing in the broader sense, that would be a Police matter and no doubt this would have been reported in the story.

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bosco1 says...
1:48pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Although this lady has kind of gone, surely there must be contact from family friends etc.Somebody must know.? I would have thought it should be the police dealing with this now.Checking customs at airports etc.Lets hope there is a happy end to this.I assume someone has tried to contact the family.?

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spooki says...
1:50pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Strange! So she's not missing? Just unresponsive to calls/emails/post? Sounds like they know where she is but not telling.

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addntox says...
2:04pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Why do these types of things only happen in Bournemouth?

Although taking the money and not attending meetings or being in contact sums up most of the councillors

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Bob49 says...
2:18pm Sat 9 Feb 13

"the public who trusted and voted for her "


They didn't. They voted for the candidate that the local Tory party put up. Her qualities or abilities had nothing to do with the election result.

You could put a blue rossette on a pig and it would get elected in many wards. As long as voters meekly submit to what they are told we will continue to get the councillors we deserve.

In this case it sounds as if this woman has moved elsewhere and council leader John Beasley is choosing to deny this is the case. This would be a shameful travesty of democracy were this not Bournemouth council. They have little shame, or in their block whipped voting, little democracy either.

Something most folk of Bournemouth appear happy with.

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tinkerten says...
2:29pm Sat 9 Feb 13

jobsworthwatch wrote:
We should be able to deselect our councilors, in fact we should be able to deselect the whole council by referendum if necessary.

Check out :-

http://www.dailymail

.co.uk/news/article-

2275882/They-squeal-

cuts-truth-town-hall

s-spending--fleecing

-you.html#axzz2JulgR

3S6

Read the above and you will wonder why you ever bothered to vote for local government!
well worth reading the article in the above link....

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Hickery says...
3:39pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Perhaps she's entered the Jungle?

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Mark Davie says...
4:25pm Sat 9 Feb 13

I am her ex husband and we have a son together, I have tried everything I can to get hold of them without any results. If anything knows anything please comment back.

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step up says...
4:54pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Another useless Tory supplementing her income as a part time councilor. Fraudulent? Would have thought so. Would be if welfare benefit not entitled to. At least she cant do any harm whereever she is.....best leave best alone....by election ??

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bosco1 says...
5:23pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Mark Davie wrote:
I am her ex husband and we have a son together, I have tried everything I can to get hold of them without any results. If anything knows anything please comment back.
HI Mark, you must be very worried and concerned.I hope you get some good news very soon.From what you say it seems as if both your ex wife and your Son are missing.? Well I do hope you hear from them very soon to put your mind at rest.

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retry69 says...
5:28pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Mark Davie wrote:
I am her ex husband and we have a son together, I have tried everything I can to get hold of them without any results. If anything knows anything please comment back.
I can only apologise for the sick people commenting.Hope you can get in touch soon

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scrumpyjack says...
5:32pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Mark Davie wrote:
I am her ex husband and we have a son together, I have tried everything I can to get hold of them without any results. If anything knows anything please comment back.
It must be awful for you.

Hope everything is ok.

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BmthNewshound says...
5:53pm Sat 9 Feb 13

So she hasn’t turned up to two licensing board meetings she was due to attend, she hasn’t been seen for a while and the Council is not “unduly concerned” and John Beesley has dismissed rumours about her disappearance as “mischief making”
.
Either Bournemouth Council are aware of her whereabouts or they are failing in their moral, if not legal, duty to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Cllr.Davie. I’m surprised the fact that she didn’t attend the licensing board meetings didn’t trigger some sort of follow up action to ascertain why she was absent from the meeting.
.
Until Ms Davies whereabouts and safety are confirmed I don’t think that it is appropriate to have to debate as to whether she should be continuing to receive her allowances.

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ab8 says...
5:56pm Sat 9 Feb 13

If you want to see some really sick comments about this then take a look at this site-
bournemouthpolitics2

bunch of morons

Report this post »

ShuttleX says...
6:30pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Mark Davie wrote:
I am her ex husband and we have a son together, I have tried everything I can to get hold of them without any results. If anything knows anything please comment back.
Ex husband or not, it must be a very worrying time for you. I have my fingers crossed that it all turns out well.

Although I agree that any Councillor who takes public money should do the job they are supposed to, we have no real information as to why she isn't. She may have had a mental breakdown and just got the hell out of town to sort things out. Lets wait till we know some facts before hanging the woman.

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ShuttleX says...
6:33pm Sat 9 Feb 13

On another point. If anybody is planning to contact their Councillor on a matter of importance, it might be best not to send them a letter. Delivered once a week? Why not daily? If you were facing eviction and needed your Councillors help, you sure as hell wouldn't want some jobsworth at the Town Hall sitting on your letter for a week.

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muscliffman says...
7:28pm Sat 9 Feb 13

It is now suggested, within later comments, that this lady may not be simply 'missing' from her Council duties as is reported.

This would take the situation to a different level. It would be useful if the Echo could update everyone and check if the Police are indeed involved and now regard this as a missing person/s matter.

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retry69 says...
9:29pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Perhaps people should know by now not to jump to conclusions and not to believe everything as it seems in the papers,difficult for some i know.

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Yankee1 says...
10:01pm Sat 9 Feb 13

A Conservative?

My, that party has changed. Not for the better.

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username is already in use says...
2:46am Sun 10 Feb 13

has anyone called the police?

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anigel says...
8:45am Sun 10 Feb 13

I find the tone of this article very strange, the woman is missing and all the echo are interested in is council bashing.

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Localvoice2 says...
8:58am Sun 10 Feb 13

Mark Davie - Cllr Davie is still updating Facebook. Some of the messages appear to be in Finnish. Looks like she may have returned to her home country.

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step up says...
9:57am Sun 10 Feb 13

Localvoice2 wrote:
Mark Davie - Cllr Davie is still updating Facebook. Some of the messages appear to be in Finnish. Looks like she may have returned to her home country.
In which case she should be prosecuted for receiving public money under false pretences Mr Beesley and every penny returned. I dont want my council tax paying for a jolly to Finland while vulnerable adults are having their funding slashed and Dorset Enterprises are laying off 23 vulnerable workers. Isnt it about time this appalling coucil got its act togethet Mr Tony Williams?? You must surely be embaressed by the perpetual bad press....or perhaps not. You will be voted back in in increasing numbers whatever you do.

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moley1 says...
12:24pm Sun 10 Feb 13

If people are more worried about just over £9000 than actually finding out if this lady is safe, then I'm very glad I don't live in Bournemouth any more.

She can always pay it back!

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retry69 says...
12:43pm Sun 10 Feb 13

moley1 wrote:
If people are more worried about just over £9000 than actually finding out if this lady is safe, then I'm very glad I don't live in Bournemouth any more.

She can always pay it back!
I think you made the correct move when you left.We are slowly being sucked into oblivion by our own.

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Tim Baber says...
1:42pm Sun 10 Feb 13

The thing is, in life, statistics suggest there is a "normal distribution curve" for all events, a bit like a normal distribution curve on a graph for height, say. Most people will be in the average area, with progressively fewer people increasingly being taller than that and progressively fewer people being shorter than that. Life throws a curve ball at most people on average just a few times in a lifetime, and a Councillor going off the radar is something that I remember happening in Bournemouth Council about a decade ago. These things happen, and there are usually commensurate checks and balances to keep the ship of state (or local privateers) we have moving. It can be a shill, or it can be a personal tragedy. Let's hope it is neither and is just something, (like a period of depression, say,) which needs a little time and space to resolve. I have many times thought
I should stand as a Councillor after going to hundreds of public meetings beginning a decade ago at which only 50% of the Councillors spoke on average. Vote for your party, no problem. The expression I heard was to be able "to go down the same road". I have no idea why a Councillor might go AWOL, but what put me off was there were horse traders there who thought they were "senior" Councillors. I have seen this challenged by moderate Councillors against the same "Usurpers" calling themselves "senior" Councillors in Christchurch Council. I used to be in the public gallery also about then. To me you represent your electorate, not point scoring ritualists, who oppose any policy if it is favoured by the opposition. and if you cannot do better than a nodding donkey tethered to local bullies, you walk. Yet I would still be in the public gallery if I hadn't given up the car , so if you get the chance go to a meeting or two. Yes 50% of the time is wasted but nobody knows which 50%, and you might be able to tell from the sidelines. On a scale of low to high it is a good building block for your own civic awareness. But I do hope this disappearance is to the minor end of a benign "that's life" disruption and that it is justified if caused by, say,
some spat over power or principle. Actually, looking at the cash, knowing I am retired, needing to stay out of trouble, hmmmmmm. Nah, first I have to save the Whole Wide World from Monarch Programming, and you can see from the sideline, that my story at bhmversusmengele.tum
blr.com, I am worth far more with an even more onerous task.

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s-pb2 says...
6:41pm Sun 10 Feb 13

moley1 wrote:
If people are more worried about just over £9000 than actually finding out if this lady is safe, then I'm very glad I don't live in Bournemouth any more.

She can always pay it back!
Thats Bournemouth for you im afraid its like that on most of the stories here. Mostly selfish people who feel that its acceptable to make political or personal jibes without thinking of someone's welfare. You can see who we mean in the earlier posts.

I hope the councillor is safe and well.

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BIGTONE says...
9:28pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Don't worry,she will still be drawing loot from her UK account..

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Lord Spring says...
10:42am Sat 16 Feb 13

Has Pete Woodley come to light yet

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retry69 says...
11:02am Sat 16 Feb 13

Lord Spring wrote:
Has Pete Woodley come to light yet
I have it on good authority that he has been a naughty boy and is taking an enforced break from commenting but we still wish him well

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