NZ councillor joins Zoom meeting from bathroom

Pic credit: Screengrab from AFP YouTube video Dunedin City Councillor Jo Galer washed her dirty laundry in public, literally. Well, she didn’t exactly wash it, but she hung the entire load out during a televised council meeting.It happened on Monday when Galer dialled into a local government reform discussion from Glasgow via Zoom. One look at her camera feed, and the mayor gently suggested she reposition. Not for privacy, but to avoid the background: a bathroom with damp clothes left on the rail to air.When the background steals the spotlightOn Monday morning, as the Dunedin City Council meeting started, Mayor Sophie Barker informed the rest that two councillors would be joining via Zoom. “We can’t see them yet. They are on the other side of the world, so it may take a little moment,” Barker said.Galer joined the call hoping to discuss council spending priorities and local government reorganisation, but the first thing anyone noticed was her backdrop, not her policy arguments. The councillor appeared to be joining the high-stakes meeting from her bathroom, with her laundry left in the background to dry.The eventful meetingThe City Council meeting was quite eventful. It took just o...