Town hall’s wall
IN a fortnight where the state election and its aftermath dominated the headlines, it was easy to miss a story that could well have a significant effect on the local area.
Last Tuesday there was what I would refer to as a quiet story from the Addy’s Olivia Reed. Just on 400 words, yet potentially a minefield for local government. It raises the old question of who exactly actually runs our councils. Is it the councillors, the CEO or the officers of any particular council?
I’ll be upfront about this and repeat what I believe and I have said many times — councillors think they run the council but the officers know they really do.
For the Surf Coast Shire, CoGG, Golden Plains and any other local authority you may be involved with, they are all the same, trust me.
Tuesday’s Addy story centred on Cr Heather Wellington, pictured, potentially quitting the council in the new year and immediately taking leave from December 12 until March 2019.
Having talked to Heather, I can assure you it was not a lightly taken decision. As background, Heather is a lawyer and a doctor, was councillor for the Coryule Ward in the City of Greater Geelong from 2000-04 and has been representing the Winchelsea ward since 2012, which includes a re-election in 2016.
She is also a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, which is relevant to what follows in an indirect way.
As they say in all the best stories, let’s start at the beginning. The beginning is quite simple; what do we elect our councillors to do? Perhaps I’m just an old fuddy duddy but I elect them to represent and look after, firstly my interests, secondly the interests of my ward and thirdly, their local government area.
Being a councillor is a thankless job. No real thanks and on most issues they are on a hiding to nothing, if only on the premise that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
They are minimally rewarded for their efforts and the conscientious ones work excessive hours and they care. They care about their local community and the effects of the decisions that they are required to make on our behalf.
I’ve always considered Heather to be such a councillor because I know she cares and, unlike many, many other councillors, she could earn a squillion more by just concentrating on her own career.
So what has brought a dedicated and to my mind conscientious councillor — I should add I do not share all of Heather’s political beliefs — to even consider resigning?
Pretty simple really, she is coming up against the brick wall of local government. A near impenetrable wall of council employees who consider that they have all the right answers and, as the councillors come and go, it is their divine right to make decisions on our behalf.
The only problem with this scenario is that you or me didn’t vote for these anonymous individuals. I know nothing about them, their political beliefs or their individual competencies. I do know that by and large they are being paid far more than their skills could ever attract in the private sector with far greater benefits attached as well. To misquote the teachers’ dilemma “those who can, do, those who can’t, work for local government”. Heather has made the inexcusable mistake of asking that council employees be made accountable for their actions and the money that they allocate on a day-to-day basis. Apparently, according to the Surf Coast Shire CEO Keith Baillie, “Council has experienced a period where councillors’ relationships have been challenging,” he said. “To assist, we have a series of governance reforms to assist councillors, staff and the community.” He went on with, “for decisions made at a council meeting, officers provide relevant information to councillors through reports in the meeting agenda”. Really Keith? Given that council is like a pyramid, the matters that go before councillors represents a mere 10 to 15 per cent of the total expenditure. Are we expected to trust the other 85 per cent of our rates to be decided by non-elected and marginally qualified officers without any governance or oversight from the elected councillors? Not on my watch. So go Heather, and to quote dear old Don Chipp, “keep the bastards honest”.