BACK when Nick Catania spearheaded the move a little over three years ago to change the Town of Vincent to the City of Vincent he told the Voice it could help stave off a takeover by another council.

The move was controversial, costing $60,000 to replace all the “town insignia”. “It just gives you that extra status,” Mr Catania said at the time.

“Instead of a town you’re a city, it gives the perception that you’re bigger and stronger, it may dissuade people trying to do any takeover.”

But apparently news about Vincent’s upgrade hasn’t yet filtered up the chain.

The WA government website spruiking boundary reforms says it’s proposing a merger between the City of Perth and the “Town of Vincent”.

But Vincent’s not the only organisation given short shrift by big government.

A  WA local government advisory board report insulted the Voice by omission when talking about “relevant local papers” in the area.

It says “most of the population of the area affected by the proposal receive the same local community paper, the Guardian Express”.

No mention of the WA-owned Perth Voice, which letterboxes about 10,000+ more copies per week than the Guardian Express (co-owned by News Corporation and Seven West Media).

Maybe being local and independent, whether you’re a council or a newspaper, just doesn’t cut it with the men in suits?

by DAVID BELL