Robert Armstrong’s adieu

Huon Valley Guessing Games Knock, knock, who’s there? It’s Knocker Hawkins, the man who helped put Robert Armstrong into parliament. I had no idea I had that much clout. But that’s the way it is, according to the man himself, Huon Valley Council’s about-to-depart Mayor Armstrong.

At council’s ordinary meeting on Monday (October 13), Boggles, as he is both affectionately, and otherwise, known throughout the valley, plodded in his monotone through a valedictory in which he heaped praise on present and past Futures Team mates; gave short shrift to council’s greenies; and failed completely to acknowledge the presence of the third female councillor at the end of the table.

Then he went on about council “knockers”, among whom, as a Tasmanian Times occasional commentator, I feel I can reasonably include myself. I was quite moved to hear how important I had become in the life of a man who said on radio not so long back that he never read any of my TT rubbish.

If Armstrong’s statement on Monday was an accurate record of what was going on in his mind, in 2011 he was thinking of giving up his job as mayor. It was, he said, criticism of him and his council by us knockers (don’t exactly know the others he had in mind) that spurred him to stand again — just one more time.

That, it seems, was all the inspiration he needed to charge ever onwards, up the slippery political slope, to get to where he is today — sitting in the plushness of that pseudo-retirement home, especially for ex-mayors, the Tasmanian Legislative Council.

(Earlier this year, as the sixth-least-popular candidate — among seven — of several thousand Huon Division voters, Armstrong pushed Liberal candidate Peter Hodgman aside to win the opportunity to do an MLC’s work, or whatever it is that MLCs do.)

It was a revealing moment to be listening to the mayor listing what he saw as his council’s achievements down the years: it had provided road repairs, bridges, garbage collection, recycling services . . . (all the kinds of things councils are supposed to do), and (mostly through government grants) it had also provided medical, child-minding and sports services. And he was very proud of Tasmanian Water’s supply that goes all the way from upstream of Huonville to Cygnet, a township that would not have needed an alternative water supply if the Armstrong-run council had properly managed and maintained the pristine supply that served it from nearby Grey Mountain.

And, predictably, Mayor Armstrong conveniently forgot to mention how he had presided, in the late noughties, over the almighty loss of more than $4 million of public money through investments by council management that he and his fellow Futures Team councillors claimed they knew nothing about. (I’m sure, with council being the ultra-secret society it was in those days, the other two councillors certainly hadn’t been told about the investments. Council is still secretive, but the cracks that let the light in are getting wider by the day.)

Ever since the mainly CDO (collateral debt obligations) losses came to light in late 2008, Armstrong, despite repeated requests for at least a situationer on what’s been happening, has barely said a word about this massive blemish on his mayoral record.

“Subject to legal constraints”, or similar phrases, has been the usual response. No one expected to hear from Armstrong about details of the negotiations that we think we know are going on between council’s lawyers and those of whoever council is negotiating with. But, if Armstrong’s council had any sense of duty about dealing transparently with the people who elected it, surely it would be reasonable for us to know who the lawyers are who are negotiating to try to claw back at least a portion of the lost money.

Questions need asking. Under what terms are the lawyers acting for council? Is council running up a huge legal bill? Is the deal with the lawyers “no win, no pay”? If council wins, will it mean that, after legal expenses, we would get only, say, 50 cents in the dollar, the rest going to the lawyers? If council loses, will the ratepayers have to foot the costs of those (Commonwealth Bank?) with whom it has been negotiating? Has the interest that might have been earned by the lost investments been considered in the negotiations? . . .

All of these questions have nothing to do with the substance of the actual negotiations that may, or may not be, going on, so they could be answered by council without prejudicing the outcome of the negotiations. But, with public apathy almost zero, council has been able to get away with almost total silence these past six years or so. (Yet again, on Wednesday this week, mayoral aspirant Bruce Heron told the candidates’ forum audience in Franklin that nothing could be said because of legal considerations.)

SOME observers thought that a few words about losing $4 million of public money might have been in the mayor’s response to the second part of a “question on notice” that Cr Liz Smith asked of Armstrong on Monday.

Smith’s question: After 13 years in the role of mayor . . . what do you see as being 1) the greatest achievement, and 2) the greatest failure of your period as mayor, and what is your response to these events?

To1), Armstrong said his greatest success was to have had the support of a majority of councillors to be able to go to business to get further development; and good relations with council staff, some of whom were “lifelong friends”.

To 2), he said, “I wouldn’t call it a failure”, but he would have liked to have done more for forestry. (He made special mention of “radical elements” that had “sabotaged” the timber industry’s overseas markets.)

IN THE past couple of months, Mayor Armstrong has been the subject of a lot of valley talk, especially in Cygnet, so much so that, at council’s September meeting, I felt moved to ask him this question:

Councillor Armstrong, I am reliably informed that you have been indulging in conversations with members of the Cygnet community that are causing concern among at least several members of the community.

In one case, I am told you telephoned a person to tell him of your disapproval of that person supporting mayoral aspirant and past councillor Peter Coad.

I am also informed that you were involved in an unseemly verbal confrontation in a public place in Cygnet.

And I am also informed that you made disparaging comments about Mr Coad at the Cygnet RSL.

His response was words to the effect that he was a voter, he was entitled to an opinion, what he said on the telephone was nobody’s business, and “that’s my answer”.

Which, of course, was no answer at all.

ARMSTRONG missed the July and August council meetings and his arrival just before the September meeting seemed to be a surprise to everyone, staff and councillors. At the June meeting, he was asked, now that he was a member of the LegCo, whether he was doing two full-time jobs — as mayor and as an MLC — as he had promised he would do in his campaigns for mayor (2011) and for LegCo (this year), when he campaigned on a platform of HONESTY INTEGRITY COMMITMENT. His reply then was that he was “working flat out”.

Which, of course, was no answer at all.

By July, it was clear that Armstrong had virtually abandoned his “full-time” role as mayor. It was a period in which he obviously had more than enough on his hands learning the ropes of Legislative Council life. The burden of office fell on his deputy, Councillor Mike Wilson, who hasn’t stopped reminding us how much he has been doing as stand-in mayor, especially since he brought his campaign to become mayor out into the open about August time. He’d attended 28 meetings and events in a month was Wilson’s boast at last week’s candidates forum in Huonville (October 8).

It’s understood that Wilson has in writing from Armstrong authority that appointed him “acting mayor” from September 1. Yet, it seems, Armstrong has still been popping up here and there, perhaps to remind those who he feels need to be reminded that he’s still the boss until councillors’ terms officially expire (which may be October 28, when the votes are counted).

And, of course, ever since his ascent to LegCo in early May, Armstrong has been picking up two salaries, something in the region of $40,000 a year as mayor and around $120,000 a year as an MLC. Including the perks that go with each job, his combined package must be worth more than $200,000 a year.

I don’t know whether to feel pleased or miffed that I have been credited with playing a significant role in persuading Robert Armstrong to stay in politics, and helping him to become an MLC.

Certainly, in the political scheme of things, I’m miffed that a man I do not believe is up to the job of being a competent LegCo member is now where he is. But, equally, I’m feeling better by the minute knowing that soon what I believe to be his disastrous term as mayor of the Huon Valley Council will be over. — Bob Hawkins