REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Tuesday, April 13, 2004

RON Clarke wanted the council’s resident greenie Peter Young to be his top environment cop.

The Mayor said he had big plans for Cr Young, who was overlooked by his colleagues for other senior committee positions.

Cr Clarke said he hoped Cr Young would head up a new environmental sustainability committee to oversee all council decisions to ensure they were green friendly.

It was a policing role, said the Mayor, who developed the Couran Cove eco-resort and who held environmental sustainability dear to his heart.

“I admire Peter Young and what he’s doing,” he said.

“What I have got in mind for him is a role much more suited to him.

“There should be a new committee, which I would like to see him chairing, which would virtually check that everything we do is environmentally sustainable.

“There are a lot of ways we can improve ... it’s the way all governments are moving now.

“It is really his pet passion.”

Cr Clarke said he wanted to have the committee up and running by June, when the council had agreed to review its new committee structure.

He abstained from voting for the new committee chairs at an informal dinner meeting of councillors and would not be drawn on whether he thought Cr Ted Shepherd or Cr Young was better suited to chair the new city planning committee.

Cr Shepherd was voted into the job by his colleagues at the inaugural council meeting, despite a five-minute speech by Cr Young outlining his extensive qualifications.