Thursday 4 June 2015
NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND
James Plumridge 4 June 2015
A Tale of Two Municipalities
'It was the Best of times, it was the worst of times...' (apologies to Charles Dickens)
This afternoon I had the pleasure of a brief but enlightening conversation with Roel Loopers, a long-term resident of Fremantle, professional photographer, and past president of the Fremantle Society. Roel is widely known as moderator of Freo's View (freoview.wordpress.com), a blog serving the port city in much the same way as this blog hopes, when it hits its straps, to serve the people of York.
I contacted Roel while enquiring into the professional antecedents of James Best. As many of you may know, not long before taking on the plum job of replacing our elected Council Mr Best undertook the highly paid task of running a series of 'visioning' sessions in Fremantle collectively known as Fremantle Visioning 2029. This exercise was an initiative of Fremantle City Council.
Those of you who have had misgivings about the appointment of James Best as Minister Simpson's gauleiter in York will find no comfort in Roel's opinion of the value of James's final report on the results of the 'visioning' process in Fremantle. This is what Roel had to say on the matter in Freo's View on 12 January 2015:
'The Fremantle Visioning 2029 community project has left a sour taste with many in Freo. I have talked with a lot of people-including some Fremantle Councillors-over the holiday break and no one has said a good word about it.
Questions were raised why the final report is a mere summary of the workshops rather than the detailed analysis we were expecting from consultant James Best, who reportedly received over $ 80,000 to conduct the project. One Councillor told me that fewer workshops have been conducted than contractually agreed on, so what is going on and who at the City of Fremantle is responsible for making sure we receive value for money for this project? The report claims for example that nearly 1,000 people participated in the workshops, but that is factually wrong because many of the 1,000 people attended multiple workshops, so the actual figure of people who participated is much lower than claimed.
Did anyone research if the consultant has the academic knowledge to analyse complex community issues, or was he being engaged as an expert consultant because he is a former Mayor of South Perth? Who was responsible for selecting the consultant and who is responsible for now making sure we will get a decent analytic report of the community process? The Town of East Fremantle has also appointed the same consultant to do a Visioning 2029 there, so let’s hope they’ll insist on a much better end report than the City of Fremantle received, and presumably accepted as satisfactory...
The flimsy Fremantle Visioning 2029 report is not good enough for all the money the ratepayers paid for it. A Personal Assistant could have put together the lazy, plain and uninspiring summary of the workshops held. I attended at least five of them and feel I wasted my time-yet again! In contrast to that one should see the professional report by CODA on the Victoria Quay development. While the same butcher paper method was used as at Visioning 2029, at least Fremantle Ports received an analytic and detailed report about the community workshops. What COF received is not worth the paper it is written on.
James Best is quite clearly respected as an expert on local government as he has been appointed by the WA Government as the Commissioner for York, as that troubled Council has been sacked. That makes the report the City of Fremantle received even more disappointing.'
In a later post, dated 11 February 2015, Roel sums up Fremantle Visioning 2029 as a 'very costly...project that delivered nothing but hyperbole'.
I forgot to ask Roel what happened in East Fremantle. So far I've found nothing about it on the Web. If any of you have some idea as to whether or not the East Freo City Council went ahead with their 'visioning', and how useful or otherwise it proved to be, please share the information with the rest of us.
You can google the full text of James Best's report of Fremantle Visioning 2029. Read it, and judge for yourself if Fremantle was short-changed. And if so, how confident can we be that Minister Simpson believed when appointing him as Commissioner that York would get value for money?
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James Best credits himself for the vibrancy now evident in Toodyay, where I lived for a few years (2000-2005) during the reign of another 'town destroyer' (including York prior to Toodyay, I understand). Toodyay was going nowhere at the time, yet once it paid out this less-than adequate CEO (to put it kindly) in order to 'get rid of him', the town began to recover. Still, it took many years for Toodyay to regroup and forge ahead to where it is today.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, back to JB's claims for this town's present situation: the 2 key people I spoke with recently not only do not credit JB with accomplishing anything for their town, they don't even remember him... What more can I say....
The above does not surprise me.
ReplyDeleteI doubt York has received value for money and it will be interesting to read the Report Mr. Best writes.
We were promised all manner of things by Mr. Best but nothing has eventuated to date.
Many residents gave up their valuable time to take part in the so called Best visioning forums. Some attending had volunteered previously in similar groups/committees with Commissioner Troy. In comparison, Mr. Best's forums were a shambles.
To my knowledge no one attending the 2015 York Visionary meetings received Minutes, notes or even feed back from Mr. Best. He would whisk away the post it notes we wrote on, stick them to butchers paper on the glass door and off he would go.
Several forums were cancelled at the last minute with little, if any, warning and no explanation.
One forum was disbanded due to lack of a quorum, probably because people got thoroughly sick of turning up ready to start at 5 pm and were left standing around waiting for Mr. Best to grace us with his presence. The forums rarely started on time because Mr. Best would simply turn up when he felt like it, in one case he was 15 minutes late.
As far as we know, though we've not been formally advised, all Forums have now been cancelled.
We were promised a Town Forum, then heard only certain people would be invited to that. It can hardly be called a Town Forum if it is restricted to invitation only.
Freo2029Vision Report: I read half of it: a 'pretty' artwork jumble, repeated more than once; some photos of people 'performing' (a hand gesture is most important to the picture; only a rare smile allowed). Those Freo Workshops were spread over 4 months, and we haven't had one of the flagged 4 Whole-of-Town Workshops as yet, and it is Mr B's last month. (Yes, we had a few introductions, and a few advisory group meetings, attended by less and less people, Mr. B. often arriving late, and then the rest (barring the 'breakfast' group, and maybe even that in the end) cancelled altogether — supposedly while we wait for the big 300-strong-at-least Visioning Forums). At least JB wasn't hoping for 1000 here.
ReplyDeleteHmmm Fremantle 'the cultural capital of WA', and they want 'an ocean pool/shark enclosure'. CYNIC SPEAKING: Whom do they want to feed to it? But no, some of their ideas for the future (p.15) are worth considering for York, regardless of who ran the workshops.
Now how about this for promoting new businesses in our CBD: The City of Fremantle Economic Development Unit offer incentives and assistance to new independent businesses that want to get started in Fremantle. How about that! Better than the disincentives experienced by some businesses in our Town in recent and very recent times. And they want more trees (and green spaces) as sanctuary from the heat! Heritage-listing 100 yr old trees. Diversifiacation of retail to meet local community needs (in our case, so we don't have to go to Northam or that heat-reflecting cement 'city' called Midand (the equivalents of Garden City for Freo). As with York, Freo is 'tto qiet after 5.00 pm; here its 4.00pm.
I noted a suggestion to 'host a forum to discuss excessive rents and neglect of property' and 'challenge landlords to make leases more affordable (win-win in the end). We could do with that here in our CBD. Empty shops to host community group displays (well, if so make them colourful and not too crowded with written material, I say). A Youth Plan, with a central gathering place and 'focusing on engaging youth and encouraging their participation. Community/Kitchen gardens in public spaces. A 'greenifying award' (one of our bloggers suggested that to our council the last time we had a Commissioner; idea rejected by the unimaginative, of course).
I began in cynical mood. However, I now recommend a read of the report, on http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/cityoffremantle/Fremantle_2029_Community_Visioning_Project
JB's York Visioning effort seems to be failing and we feel left in limbo, but maybe there are some ideas we can get from the Freo one. Well, if we can summon our former motivation back after all the disappointment.
I asked James Best at one of the visioning meetings the following question at the time heckled to what was a very Valid Question.
ReplyDeleteWhat guarantees are you giving us (YORK) Mr Best that these Visioning groups are going to be here in the future? as York has had several of these groups in the past and they were all disbanded by a previous ego maniac who we are not to mention his name (RH)
To which I was told by a couple of people, at the meeting, who do not know my concerns toward the shire, " To move on let go of the past" to which I answered, actually in tears as damage to me by the Shire of York was taking its toll. " I have moved on I'm here and I give my time and money to the Womens Hub if I hadn't moved on would i be giving my time to the community" But that ended up twisted like every thing to do with James Best the Shire and Myself.
His answer was that "they would always be there and it was up t us to keep our elected members on the page with keeping them going". "It was about not giving our power away".
"To which I stated we didn't give it away it was stolen from us" ended in him offering to give me a hug after the meeting.
Its not enough that the groups that had already been put into place by the former Shire President CR Reid, had been renamed changed and some cancelled altogether for the fancy smancy newly named visioning groups.
But
Mr Best they are gone already and you haven't even left yet,
I received an email telling me that there would be no more group meetings, from the Shire Secretary stating that "I wish to advise that Advisory Group meetings for the balance of May have been cancelled due to the planning of the Visioning Forum." on the 12/5/15.
The Visioning Forum well that has been cancelled once and from Mr Bests actual mouth was said to be happening in the month of May 2015, with Today being June 5th 2015, I'm guessing its not yet been finalized.
James Best told me that he was going to "talk to all the people who had issues with the Shire" that he had been talking to people and "when he looked under the rock presented to him he expected he would find a bit of blood but he found guts, blood and body parts" obviously shocked to information he was receiving from residents of York, that at the time he first talked to me he was "trying to Triage the wound in order to stem the flow of blood and then resolve the problems".
For the record Mr Best I did give you a chance, I received ridicule from friends with issues in York that hadn't spoken with you or had and thought you were a load of Bull.
But you have done nothing to help me or others, You have cancelled important groups with people who have a wealth of knowledge about the community, who live here and have a genuine passion for York. You have tried to divide and conquer just like Ray Hooper did.
My Problems are not sorted Mr Best.
I am 100% sure that other Persons Problems are not sorted Mr Best.
I was born in North Fremantle grew up and lived and went to school in Fremantle and no one I know from Fremantle until I was 29 and frequented Fremantle until I was 40 on a regular basis as my grandparents where still living there, in contact with friends still living there, no one has heard of James Best either.
What has he done here in York? let me know?
Hello James! Welcome to the world of political bloggers!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Diana Ryan, and I run CanningAccountability - which I created immediately after the City of Canning's council was suspended. Something seemed not quite right there..... and of course it is now more than two and a half years later, in which my community (circa 100,000) has been without democratic governance, controlled by a very ambitious staff, and is now on its second set of commissioners.
I am the opposite of a fan of this clumsy form of intervention, that of putting local govt areas "under administration" and appointing non-democratically elected, paid, part-time people who don't live in the area or pay rates towards it, as "Commissioner"..... nor does anyone ever want to truly investigate anything, no matter what they say.
I have constantly questioned the role of the Dept of Local Government & Communities in all of this, as it seems to be what I can only call a "crap policeman", if there are problems - and frequently it goes significantly beyond the men and women of a council - it doesn't intervene until late in the piece and then comes in with a hammer.
Did you know there is nothing under the Local Govt Act that allows for the Commissioners to be supervised in their role? Extraordinary, and it does seem as though York, as with Canning under dismissed commissioner Linton Reynolds, has a commissioner whose job it is to administer, yet who seems to be trying to reshape it all together? Would that be right?
You will need to stay vigilant..... but of course you've realised that.....
Congratulations on your fortitude, James (and that of your blog's robust commenters)
I tried to put in my blog's URL but it would not accept it. Please feel free to look up CanningAccountability.
Diana Ryan
Hi Diana
DeleteSeems there is no one supervising anyone! even if there was a law, legislation, policy no one would enforce it any way.
Local Government think they are above the law sadly.
Why do we pay these people, this one can't do anything, that one cant do anything, so you go a level up same answer and another level up same answer, where is their duty of care? who is responsible for all their stuff ups? If you put a fence up the wrong color by mistake you could end up in a legal wrangle, but Local Government can feed you incorrect information hold you to bogus building, so called laws cost you thousands of dollars for their incompetence and the best you get form them is oh well that persons no longer here or some other lame excuse.
Bet they will find it soon enough when finally found responsible for their actions or lack of.
Hi Diana, thanks for your encouraging words of welcome and advice and for taking an interest in York's woes. The Canning story seems considerably worse than ours. In my opinion, the DLGC is dysfunctional and has a lot to hide. Minister Simpson seems to have little or no idea of what he should be doing and seems to take orders, rather than advice, from his staff.
DeleteMany of us York residents now hold the view that Commissioner Best and Acting CEO Simpson are departmental stooges and can't be trusted to do the right thing by the York community. Mr Best seems to have taken office under instruction to bury the crimes and follies of the last few years as deep as the spade will go. The Acting CEO comes over as a bit of a simpleton - he gives the impression of being pulled out of a coffin every morning and started up with jumper leads - but what he appears to lack in energy and intellect he makes up for in obfuscation and cunning, as witness his renewal for 5 years, eight months before its expiry, of the contract of an unqualified, not obviously competent and highly unpopular Deputy CEO (who is also a favourite with the Department, because of her role in helping to bring down our democratically elected Shire President).
What we see in York, Canning, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Lord alone knows where else is nothing less than corruption supported or covered up by lazy, self serving bureaucrats in the DLGC. The Premier said a few weeks ago, in what was probably an unguarded moment, something to the effect that corruption is endemic in WA local government. If our municipalities are anything to go by, he was right on the money. Pity he doesn't do something about it. Sacking Tony Simpson would be a good start.
I also heard the Premier make that comment. At the time I thought he seemed genuinely concerned and I had hoped he would take action to clean it up without delay.
DeleteNow the Premier has admitted he knows there is a problem within the Local Government area, he has a responsibility to the people of WA to deal with it urgently.
Attention York Residents: Truth and Integrity WILL prevail if we stand united...
ReplyDeleteThe latest 'news' on the Terrace: Matthew Reid, our renowned Shire President, and David Wallace, a strong supporter of us in his role as Councillor, are resigning. They and their families have endured enough thanks to the lack of support from the State Gov’t as well as the DLGC, both of whom are threatened by truth and integrity in Local Gov’t becoming our new benchmark.
Yet that’s not the worst of what is being said. Not only is the self-aggrandizing James Best here for another six months – make sure you’re sitting down for this stab in the back – Ray Hooper is due to be put back as CEO. I believe this is touted for 2016 (if I have my facts straight).
Of course, we must take a stand to prevent the unconscionable becoming reality. Let’s have our own ‘envisioning’ forums to determine how best (no correlation intended) to proceed!!!
If the 'news' on the terrace is true, York Pharmacy will be inundated with prescriptions for anti-depressants and York will be flooded with homes being put on the market.
DeleteI overheard Mr. Best commenting Ray Hooper is an evil person, wonder how he will find working with him.
What does 'Truth Will Prevail' suggest we do?
Perhaps someone is trying to spook us with a false rumour or more than one. It has happened before. Whether this is true or not, Matthew and family and perhaps David and family will/would be very fed up with all the politicking. They need to be able to get on with their lives and businesses, and have a happy family life. Imagine what it must be like for e.g. Matthew's boys to have these clouds over their father's public life for so long. It takes a lot of strength, wives usually carrying a lot of the load, to keep things going under serious stress.
DeleteIf Mr Best gets on OK with the current Councillors (and that we don't know, because we're not in the same place with them when they are together at the Training etc...), there may not be too much problem from him face to face; but the fact that they are being treated 'like children' needing a 'parent' is an insult that would be hard to take week after week without anger, resentment, and even a broken spirit by all except the most resilient.
I'm hoping the bit about RH coming back (a name Mr B has commanded participants in the cancelled groups never to mention — and yes, I think I too heard JB refer to him as evil) really IS a false rumour, whether the rest is or not. The only people who would come out of that combo feeling (not being, of course) vindicated are RH, PH, AB/TB and families and beneficiaries of their former patronage. This should not happen. It would be license for the cowboys, pirates (pirates means 'thieves', by the way), bully boys, co-conspirators and their mates and those behind them to run the town. Besides that, Mr B would not have the power to 'supervise' RH successfully. RH is not a man to obey another (unless it was by common agreement for the benefit of both).
Question regarding rumours is: are we going to get a letter from Mr Best in Community Matters to tell us either way? Or an article with a beautiful photo of that visage? Just imagine a photo of the beautiful visage and the moustached one together both beaming out at us in unison!
Some time the truth will out. Till then, better avoid getting so anxious that we cannot think. If the rumours revealed by The Truth Will Prevail turn out to be true, then at that point we will indeed need to have some idea go and what to do next.
I must say, from his letter in the Voice of York page this fortnight, The Commissioner does not sound like a man intending to leave (despite his previous protestations the he will leave 7th July and the Councilors will taket he reins back). He asks us to keep 'providing us with your ideas and suggestions on how we can recognise the people that are doing amazing things.....in strengthening the community'. Those don't seem to be the words of someone who thinks he is leaving.
Just a thought: maybe its a double-bluff?? (Don't ask me why; I don't know. Just a mad thought.)
It's time the Premier realised the Department of Local Government is dysfunctional and his Minister needs to go.
ReplyDeleteMr. Best promised to address the issues in the Fitz Gerald Report and it hasn't happened.
ReplyDeleteI lost faith and trust in him a long time ago.
The Truth will prevail - IF what you say is correct, what about organising a Town rally at the earliest possible date.
ReplyDeleteHeard Saint's Diner won't be opening because new Laws would mean $$$$00000 would need to be spent. They had the cleanest Kitchen, the best food, happy friendly service and the cleanest and nicest toilets of any business I have been into in York - word is new toilets would have to be added before they could re-open!!
ReplyDeleteHow come the York Palace hotel was allowed to re-open without complying with any of the new Laws - ie disable access etc? Oh hang on, they are buddies with Mr. Best aren't they, so they have a different set of rules.
I will be honest and blunt with the people who read this blog.
ReplyDeleteI seriously considered the Nitschke option before Ray Hooper left because I felt I could no longer live in a community so full of hate, lies and corruption.
I like the majority of residents believed our Town was through the worst of it when Matthew Reid stepped in, to lead with truth and fairness. Sadly we were wrong. Truth and fairness has no place in the society we live in and Matthew was stomped on from a great height.
Then, it was revealed Pat Hooper stabbed his fellow councillors in their backs and let down the entire York community by writing his Minority Report. Well done Pat, you will be remembered by the majority of York Residents for this dastardly act.
Appears the lies, corruption and cover ups are more widespread than just York. It has become an epidemic within our society.
Mr. Best said the people of York need to take back their power. He is correct of course, but how many York people will stand up and demand it back?
We've been trying to take back the power (between us have tried a lot of things), and if someone can show us how to do it and actually succeed, that will be great!!
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone want to bring back Ray Hooper, didn't he do enough damage while he was here?
ReplyDeleteIsn't it enough we have seen our beautiful Historic Festival Town turn into a no go zone for visitors.
I agree, it is time the people of York took back their power. Lets have a Town rally, pool ideas, knowledge and resources. Oh, by the way - no butchers paper and post it stickers will be permitted!
When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will know peace.
ReplyDeleteSri Chinmoy
Please people dont listen to these ridiculous rumours and stay on task.
ReplyDeleteoh no you FWits are back - get a life - go away
ReplyDeleteYou must be the only person in Australia who doesn't know how to spell 'Fuck'.
Deleteshut this bullshit down like the last one
ReplyDeleteYou must be very pleased now that the old blog has come back to keep company with this one.
Deleteyou dont get it your so dumb - no one is interested in your demented crap mate
ReplyDeleteI think I know who you are, mate. Congratulations on taking up the cudgels for your associate, a senior officer of the Shire. Your style gives you away.
DeleteIf nobody is interested in my 'demented crap', why does my writing attract thousands of page views across Australia and the globe? If I were to mention your name, I would make you famous too.
'Demented' signifies 'loss of mind'. At least I have a mind to lose, not a rudimentary nervous system that won't let me write proper sentences.
Anonymous 12th June 04:06.
DeleteMy goodness, you seem to be one angry possum.
Perhaps if you continue reading this blog you may learn some manners or at the very least how to spell!
cant you find a woman or something - lifes too short to keep writing shit that no one listens to - its become a comedy show
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 12th June 04:06.
Deletecorrection - people read the blog, they do not listen to it!
Anonymous 12th June 04:06. If you had done your homework, you would know James P. does have a bloody good Women who is also a lovely Lady.
DeleteNice to see you are following the Blog.
I agree with you, life is too short which is why we are working on ridding it of corruption!
The case of the missing apostrophes...
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you write an article criticising the blog, instead of chucking a few disconnected comments into the mix? I'd be happy to publish it. I'm sure my many readers would find it edifying and entertaining.
BTW, I've happily shared my life with the same woman for almost as long as you've been alive. Thanks for your concern. It's much appreciated. Perhaps we can meet somewhere sometime for a coffee.
Bless you, James!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your responses James (the great).
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening about the FOI which I and many others contributed to?
ReplyDeleteThis needs an article of its own, but in summary the application was by agreement divided into two tranches. The DLGC offered me practically nothing of consequence the first time round, but we did get a briefing paper that mentioned Pat Hooper's minority report. I applied for an internal review and got nowhere. I shall send it to the FOI Commissioner for external review.
DeleteDLGC told me the Hooper document would be considered as part of the second tranche. However, access to that and everything else worth having was denied in the second notice of decision, which arrived about 3 weeks ago. Later today I will apply for an internal review in relation to that. I've no doubt that will also go to external review. These things take lots of time and a fair amount of work.
In brief, the DLGC doesn't want to release anything that will shed any light on the part they and others played in the process of suspending the Council. So far, the fighting fund has paid out more than a thousand dollars for very little (the Act says they can charge for the time they spend looking for information, so they do). In due course I shall require from the DLGC a precise accounting of those charges.
One thing I have been able to establish (mainly by inference) is that several members of Shire staff wrote to the DLGC complaining about Matthew, in particular his demands for information. No prizes for guessing their names. The LG Act states clearly that a councillor can't be denied access to information he needs to carry out his job. In the eyes of senior Shire staff and DLGC bureaucrats, that counted for nothing. The most important thing for all of them is to avoid scrutiny at any cost, because they're worried about what might come out in the wash. I leave you to put your own construction on that.
When I started out on this road, I had had no experience of applying for FOI. Luckily, I've been able to draw on the experience of Simon and Heather Saint, who have had lots of experience and have succeeded where most of us would probably have failed. One of the things they've taught me is that with FOI, everything takes time - lots of it. Please be patient. I'm doing my best, and I've got this blog to keep going as well!
Of course the DLG don't want the Minority Report released, it was trumped up just like the Show Cause Notice.
ReplyDeleteI think it is time Pat Hooper showed some guts and produced the Report to the people of York. The people he professes to represent and a Town he says he loves.
How can one person do so much damage to our beautiful Town and still walk around the CBD?