The Weeks rap up in the local papers.

This weeks campaigning has been set aside to deal with some issues at Shoalhaven City Council.

The Ordinary meeting was so ordinary that Councillors couldn't have been blamed for sleeping on the job - that is until the confidential session.

I think my colleagues would describe me as vigorous but fair debater, I aim not to play the politics of the personal but stick to the main game of policy, however there are some things which just cross the line for me and that is bullying, harassment and intimidation. I also despise caucus that results in binding decisions with no real explanations. 

This is how it unfolded in the press.

Temple buy back voted down... this is where I explain what made me feel so outraged that I reported the meeting to the media.

I was totally shocked that with no explanation a complete reversal of opinion could be arrived at.

This was quickly followed by this

Bullying Claims rock Shoalhaven Council...

and then Fridays edition of the register ran the following.

Explosive Bullying Claims rock Shoalhaven Council...

what is most telling is the contribution by the community via the comment threads

The general manager contributed with this.

General manager defends transformation...

My original press release is as follows...

Democracy or Dictatorship: Council throws out opportunity.

 Council has waived their right to ever get the land back, if the Shaolin are unwilling or unable to do anything with it.

On Tuesday night Council decided to end all contractual ties with the Shaolin Organisation when it voted to not to proceed with an existing buyback deed for a further two years.

After six years on Council Greens Councillor Amanda Findley says it was an absolute low in her Council career.

‘I was absolutely shocked to the core last night when Team Gash Councillors decided to vote against keeping the buyback deed, it would have been the most frustrating meeting I have ever attended and it broke down into complete disarray’

‘ Just two weeks ago each member of Team Gash in attendance at the property steering confidential session with Councils lawyer all agreed that keeping the deed in place for a further two years was the best way forward, they were so convincing in their support’

“ I agreed with this position whole heartedly as it did two things, firstly giving Council the option to buy back at the original contract price and secondly providing a little pressure to the Shaolin to get on with the long awaited job. The risk was that Council had to be prepared to buy the land back for the original sale price’.

‘ I left the meeting two weeks ago feeling reasonably happy- Council had made a good decision and everyone in attendance except CLr Guile had made the decision with conviction’

‘ I was completely horrified as that conviction dissolved last night as Clr Kearney moved to throw the deed out. I was less than constrained ‘

 ‘My questions to Team Gash were simple , Why had they changed their mind so radically,  what information did they receive that I did not to make such a change and when did this happen. No one answered my question and my frustration boiled over’

 ‘I have ignored the not so secret, secret meetings, stayed out of the argument to a great degree, but I cannot do that anymore. Shoalhaven Council is not a democracy but a dictatorship, Team Gash are openly Caucusing in Council offices despite the Code of Conduct frowning on this. Any idea that other non-team Councillors are welcome is completely ludicrous, any shred of respect that I had for The Mayor and her Team has gone. It seems to me that Team Gash also receives privileged information that other Councillors cannot access for decision making. The constant bickering between Gash and Guile is completely unbearable, with Gash constantly telling Guile to grow up; my work place is unpleasant and toxic.’

‘I am not making excuses for my own behaviour,’ telling my colleagues that their actions are fucked isn’t acceptable and I take full responsibility and have apologised for that’.

 

Soft Intimidation is still Intimidation ; Wells plays the soft glove in Gash's presence

Little bit of background for this story.

Prior to the Local Government Election, I met with Federal Member Joanna Gash to discuss the election and the passing of preferences.

Of course it would be extremely unlikely for The Greens to ever suggest that voters pass a preference to the Conservatives in politics regardless of the any claim of independence. They simply are not progressive enough.

One thing though the Mrs Gash and I did establish at that meeting was that we both didn't want to see Greg Watson resurrected as Mayor. I also told Mrs Gash that she didn't need to bother with preferences as her personal vote would be so high that no one else could really assist her- voila- 6 weeks later and Team Gash announced with a fanfare ' NO PREFERENCE DEALS!' which is such nonsense anyway as no one can give a preference other than a voter- Party's can make suggestions but it is the voter who ultimately decides. In Team Gash's fanfare they made out that The Greens had done some sort of dirty deal with Watson.

 The Greens certainly don't make deals, but suggest to voters- well if you like us and we are unsuccessful the next best candidates are from party XYZ. We make these decisions with input from all our local group members,regardless of what any other group does.

At that meeting I also advised Mrs Gash that I would be a team player but as she well knows there are times when our ideologies will be so far apart the word team wont figure.

Little did I know that my definition of team player and Team Gash's was so different.

Deputy Mayor John Wells called me into the Mayoral office after committee a fortnight ago to discuss 'how I thought Council was going' and that he would tell me how 'he thought I was going'-woo hoo lucky me, my personal critic.

However when the office door closed behind me it was a different story and they immediately queried why I was supporting things written by Fiona Phillips. Fiona is well known for her stance during the election on Mrs Gash holding down her Federal Members job and that of Mayor.

They asked me since I had a problem with the Mayoral Minutes being bundled why didn't I say something to them- umm HELLO...Wells and Gash were both in the meeting when I discussed this issue at length and even raised the code of meeting practice that seemed to direct that the Mayoral minute should only address one issue ( there can be multiple minutes). Fiona Phillips attended this meeting also and astutely picked up the issue and wrote a blog piece on the issue. I reminded them both of this meeting.

Wells did actually ask me how I though things were going and why wasnt I being a team player....Mr Wells I was not elected onto Council via TEAM GASH and the community expect me to report issues on process and accountability to them not just roll over and play cute puppy for the sake of good relationships. In fact this questioning astounded me-two people well versed in the world of politics who seemed to equate team playing to NOT exposing the issues! That is the 'game' of politics....disagree on issues and remain civil and listen to your colleagues.

So once again I reiterated my version of team playing....reminding them of the expectation my constituients had.

Wells then went on to imply that somehow we had bargained and they had lived up to their bit by giving me chair of a few commitees (not major ones, but committees that they did not want to deal with)- this was a strange little veiled threat.

Finally Wells played a sympathy statement asking me to be kind as it was a stessfull time for Jo- he did apologise to Jo for doing so but I still found it a little strange.

It was an oddly executed session of intimidation and  in an odd way I am thankfull for the hardening up that I have had to do over the last 4 years. I certianly wont be bowing to that sort of pressure anytime soon.

Simple request turns into a fiasco!

After nine months as a Councillor at Shoalhaven you would think that I would not be surprised by much. Last Tuesday however made me laugh so hard at how the Brothers Grim (Guile and Ward) can turn a simple request for a sub-committee into a roaring political grandstanding session.

I chair the Climate Change Committee who's charter is to 'Guide Council's response to community concern and exposure to risk regarding the potential impacts of Climate Change'.

Council staff thought that Councillors could be interested in participating in a sub group that looked at the risks to council assets and how mitigation could be integrated into asset management plans. For the amount of noise that my support for this request created- you would have thought that a vast amount of money had been requested. Accusation of 'political grandstanding' and trying to force the hand of councillors to 'bow to the god of climate change' bounced around the chamber. The brothers grim even suggested that the motion was to paint them as climate change deniers and part of the development dozer set-this is what made me laugh the most as there was no accusing going on- just themselves painting their own picture! Ward went on to say 'some people thought it good governance to create a committee, but to get things done you should just abolish committe and get on with the job'.

The Mayor joined in asking if we had a committee to look at the impacts of the Y2K issue, another asked if the asset of paper and pens would be included and councillors expected to waste their time risk managing these.

So it was with these attempts to belittle the process, intimidate, grandstand and generally carry on like children that made me laugh and be surprised that the request could be argued with so much vitriol.

So if you're looking for cheap entertainment I highly recommend coming along to a council meeting some day soon!