*Pic: The buck stops here … Peter Gutwein and Will Hodgman spruik the 2016 Budget …
8th June 2017
The Hon. Peter Gutwein
C/- Parliament House Hobart
RE: GLENORCHY CITY COUNCIL
Meeting of the Greater Moonah Committee of Citizens for Glenorchy was dismayed to learn that there may be further delays in the dismissal of the Glenorchy Council and the holding of new elections.
The meeting was informed that it is over 600 days since the Council became dysfunctional and threats of further legal action by Alderman Branch-Allen which could further delay the process.
It is understood that the enquiry should present its report to you by the 30th June 2017 at its latest.
We urge you to deal with the matter promptly and dismiss the Council and call for fresh elections.
In the opinion of the Committee it is obvious that the Council had become dysfunctional mainly because the refusal of certain Alderman to accept the will of the electorate when the current Mayor Alderman Christie Johnston won in a landslide.
The Committee was disappointed that the ratepayers have been deprived of their democratic rights to vote for Alderman who should control the Council in the interests of the ratepayers of Glenorchy.
The meeting was very disappointed to learn that certain Alderman might have their legal costs met by the ratepayers and were pleased by the action of the Administrator in deciding that all future claims for legal expenses will be referred to the Council’s insurers so the Council will not make any direct payments for legal costs.
But the meeting was dismayed to learn that the Council Clerk Mr Brooks and Ms Iskandarli had been suspended on full pay and that the total value of the entitlements of Mr Brooks could be as high as $5000.00 and Ms Iskandarli $4000 a week. These expensive payments for officers that are serving no useful function at this present time was resented by the ratepayers at the meeting.
I attended the Council’s Annual General Meeting this year when the Minutes of the previous meeting were presented the Mayor pointed out that they had last year’s date on them and didn’t record who was present, nevertheless, the dissenting Alderman moved and seconded the adoption of those minutes.
That motion failed because the ratepayers present had a vote.
But an organisation which can’t prepare accurate minutes and is willing to accept obviously defective minutes shows such an ignorance of, or contempt for the rules and practices for meeting procedure to show that it is grossly dysfunctional.
Therefore it is public knowledge that the Council is dysfunctional and thus should be dismissed immediately and fresh elections called. You don’t need an expensive enquiry to establish the obvious.
Therefore I urge you to dismiss the Council as soon as possible and call for fresh elections.
Yours Faithfully,
*John Green
Chair
Greater Moonah Committee
Citizen’s for Glenorchy
