There were hi-jinx in Council tonight around the election of Deputy Lord Mayor, with Clover Moore going to absurd lengths to close out any opposition. She ended up with egg on her face and a Greens Deputy who happens to be running in her state seat in March 2007.
First Clover shifted the Deputy's election back in the agenda while elections for committee chairs went ahead (completely contrary to precedent but, later on, there might have been less press and fewer onlookers around).
Then when crunchtime came everyone else nominated The Greens' Chris Harris, an obvious pre-arrangement. Clover then moved to forego the vote, effectively ABOLISHING THE POSITION of Deputy Lord Mayor. She's starting to look desperate at this point but you've got to admire her sheer chutzpah.
The five opposition councillors then walked out, leaving Clover with no quorum and a ripper press story in the making.
Mayoral notes soon circulated around the opposition offices, relenting and agreeing to hold the election. The councillors filed back into chambers to vote a 5-5 dead heat between Clover's nominee Robyn Kemmis and The Greens' Chris Harris. Then came the customary roll-of-the-barrell lucky dip, Sale of the Century style.
Cr Harris' better half, Mrs Kathy Harris, is now Sydney's 'second lady' and it will be interesting to see Clover's spin on this one.
However it's a clear sign that Clover intends to run for parliament again. Why else would she care enough to use her Lord Mayoral powers in such a desperate way?
10 comments:
This is shocking behavour from someone who is "so people oriented' and "democratic". How can people now trust such a person. Her time must be over!!
Clover's spin as reported this morning was hardly convincing -- claiming that the roll of the barrell method was not democratic and she should be able to appoint her own deputy. How is that democratic?? But these days it's typical of Clover Moore to want controlover more.
Dear Ed. Like the blog. I have posted (finally) on the Monday night coup attemnpt from Clover Moore. I was so nagry that it was hard to know where to start. And the pathetic soft reporting from the mainstream press just reinforces the growing role of blogs and the net. Unsulied by adverrtisibng and smooching out of Moore's million dollar spon machine. jump to my post to read my article.
Shayne Mallard
apologies for the comment without checking on the spelling (typing actaully). Shayne
Would be good if you - the blogger - were honest. I've heard you are a member of the Greens, but you never tell anyone this.
Is this similar to Clover's behaviour? I think it is worst.
Come clean or shut up.
Yes, Elaine, I am a member of The Greens and if I'd kept it secret you wouldn't know about it I guess. I am always suspicious of your type of argument though because it is used by people who cannot argue the logic of the actual debate and have to attack the debater instead. Clover and ESNA (East Sydney Neighbourhood Assoc.) do it all the time.
At least I reveal who I am, unlike you... and what are your affiliations? And would it matter if you had any?
There's a good chance I will be 'coming clean' in a very public way in a week's time anyway.
Thanks for your comment though -- debate is healthy!
CLOVER Moore is right- she has the power to appoint whomever she wants as Deputy Lord Mayor.
The others just don't like it because they think they have a god-given right to have a chance to be Deputy Lord Mayor.
In fact they don't.
And why should they? Verity Firth only attended 8 out of 14 functions/events she was meant to = indolence.
In this city the Lord Mayor is is democratically and, more importantly, independently elected. So she can choose her deputy: the law is the law.
The histrionics by Shayne Mallard, who can't spell, and the others [Labor] miss this fundamental point.
And all this from the same Labor Party who sacked our last council in an blatant political manouvre that backfired, and who crashed together our old South Sydney Council, that bunch of no-hopers, with the City Council - all done, without any sense of democracy at all.
Hopefully Mallard and his cronies hey will stay in the political wilderness for another three years at local council level.
Of course we all make spelling mistakes -- including you, Andrew. Unlike Shayne and myself, why do you hide behind anonymity?
Perhaps my policy on this blog should be to remove anonymous comments. That way people will have to put their money where their mouth is!
I think Verity Firth might have been a bit preoccupied with giving birth and as it rhymes so nicely it's churlish to begrudge her. She worked until a very late stage and is back on deck already. Having a good work-life balance is important to everyone's well-being.
The pro-Clover post above is correct. It is obviously far more democratic for Clover to appoint her own deputy than to have an election. I also agree that the councillors have a puffed up self opinion if they think they have an automatic right to try for the Deputy position. Just because every council in Sydney's history has done it that way doesn't mean they were right.
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