Incorporating Fair
Comment on Matters of Public Interest
Welcome back Tyhscha
It seems that
the Shire’s Deputy CEO, Tyhscha Cochrane, has finished her period of leave.
Let’s
congratulate Ms Cochrane on the latest addition to her family and on her wise
decision—assuming she was the one who made it—to leave the new baby at home
during working hours.
Readers may
remember that she used to bring her first baby with her to the Shire offices,
effectively turning the place into an unlicensed creche.
As an
experiment in municipal childcare, this wasn’t a howling success, though
howling played a part in it.
Customers and colleagues alike reacted crossly but helplessly to the
presence on the premises of a very noisy infant.
Some bold
citizens may have disrespectfully pointed out that bringing a baby to work in
such circumstances might be contrary to OH and S legislation—only to find a Shire
ranger pushing his way purposefully through their garden gate the following day
(I made that last bit up, but I’m sure you get my drift).
Unless a
miracle happens to dislodge her, Ms Cochrane can look forward to another five
years of queening it at our expense. She owes her good fortune to Graeme Simpson and James Best,
the demonic duo who organised the renewal of her contract
back in the middle of of last year, long before renewal was due.
This was
meant, I suppose, partly as a favour to a colleague but also to demonstrate their
unfathomable contempt, seen also in the purchase of Chalkies, for York and its
outraged inhabitants.
What Best and Simpson should have done is re-advertise the position and invite
the incumbent to apply for it. It
would have been an educative experience for her to face serious competition,
especially as she appears to have faced no competition of any kind when first
appointed to the DCEO position in 2011.
It’s said
that others did apply for the job, some with relevant qualifications, but
interviews were for some obscure reason deemed unnecessary.
Instead, Ms
Cochrane’s mentor Ray Hooper and the council of the day handed her the job on a
plate.
You might
think that in making staff appointments the most vital consideration would be
to make sure that the people of York get the best possible value for money. Think
again.
Ray’s
strategy seems to have been to surround himself with favoured acolytes whose loyalty he
could command by dishing out such rewards as unmerited promotions accompanied
by very generous salaries and private use of shire vehicles.
York is still
paying the price today. Why does
the Shire engage consultants across the board to carry out work that properly
trained and qualified staff would be able to do? For example, why bring in Domenic Carbone and Associates to
fix up departmental budgets when you have a Financial Controller on the payroll?
Or to put it
another way, why not just engage consultants to do the difficult stuff, and abolish
senior positions altogether (apart from that of CEO, of course)? Who knows, there might be savings to be
had from such restructuring.
One effect of
renewing Ms Cochrane’s contract will be to deprive the new CEO of the chance to
appoint a deputy qualified to occupy the position and competent to earn the
very generous salary package that goes with it.
Let’s hope he
or she doesn’t mind.
Speaking of a new CEO…
Despite the
gloomy prognostications that have appeared as comments on this blog, there has
been no shortage of applicants for the vacant position of Shire of York CEO.
My
information is that more than 40 hopefuls applied. Perhaps—who knows—Ms Cochrane was among them. Or even Ray Hooper, eager to regain his
former caliphate.
I’ve managed
to glean a bit of information about the selection process, but not much. It’s easy to understand why Council and its advisers wouldn’t
want details of applications to leak out during the process, but why be coy
about the process itself?
As everybody
knows, Council appointed WALGA as its recruitment agency. It is WALGA that draws up the shortlist
of suitable candidates.
The danger here
is that WALGA, with its only-to-be-expected bias in favour of candidates from
the Jurassic swamp, will decline to short-list candidates who may be better
educated and more highly qualified but have little or no local government
experience.
However,
councillors may ask to see other applications if they’re not keen on WALGA’s
shortlist.
I would
suggest that before interviews commence, councillors ask for copies of all
applications from candidates with university degrees in law, accountancy and
business, or equivalent professional qualifications such as CPA, whether or not the holders of those qualifications
have experience of working in local government.
After the
experience of the last dozen years or so, the people of York might be a bit
sceptical of the overall quality and commitment to the public weal of local
government CEOs, even those sporting letters like FLGMA and MLGMA after their
names.
Those letters
relate not to an educational institution but to a networking organisation, the
Local Government Managers’ Association.
No exams to pass, no essays, dissertations or theses to write—just stick
around long enough and pay an annual fee, and presto! You’re a potential CEO.
That
scepticism might be reinforced by the conga line of former CEOs from country
shires—like Toodyay and Dowerin—who have left office under a cloud or are
facing criminal charges arising from their employment.
On the
positive side, I possess a copy of WALGA’s CEO application package. It’s too long to reproduce here, but a
few select quotations should suffice to give an idea of the kind of person
Council is meant to be looking for.
So—the
successful candidate will, inter alia…
‘Lead the organisation in providing a high level
of service to the Community and Elected Members’ [note the reassuring order of priority]
‘Ensure staff have the appropriate skills,
knowledge, experience and qualifications
to perform their role’ [qualifications,
eh? There’s posh]
‘[Understand] social media use’ [not setting up another blog, surely?]
‘[Have an] Appreciation of the culture and
heritage of the Shire and how it integrates with planning and policy’ [not only history, anthropology too!]
‘Promote a staff training program that will
improve staff skills across the organisation, [and] which will assist staff in
focusing on service delivery to the Community’ [and presumably will
improve the social skills of certain individuals by reminding them that having
a job with the Shire is not a sign of social superiority on the level of minor
royalty, especially if they’re not quite up to the job in the first place]
The position is
worth a salary ‘negotiable up to $252,917 per annum’, which seems a bit
excessive when you consider that York has a population of only 3439. (Read Premier Colin Barnett’s comments
on public service CEO salaries at http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/wa-councils-on-notice-after-excessive-rate-hikes-premier-20150806-git258.html
)
It also
offers private use of a Shire vehicle as well as a house with three bedrooms, a
study, solar heating and a garden with fruit trees. Idyllic, if you ask
me. Unless I’ve missed something,
there’s no indication that if the successful applicant wants to live in the
house, he or she will have to pay rent.
The package does not specify ‘relevant tertiary qualifications’. Why that is, I’ve no idea.
DCEO Tyhscha Cochrane
Another
one bites the dust…
The following notice is currently displayed on the
Shire of Denmark website at
Shire Of Denmark And Chief Executive Officer Agree To Part Company
The Shire
of Denmark Council and its Chief Executive Officer, Dale Stewart have agreed to
part company with the officer officially departing the position in December
2015.
The Council announced this morning that Mr
Stewart would depart after eight years in the job, after Council and the
Officer agreed to terms on early cessation of his employment contract at last
night's council meeting.
Mr Stewart said it was the right time for him to
step down.
"I have enjoyed my time in Denmark
immensely, however after the recent election and with a new Council, it is a
good time to let the Council select a new Chief Executive Officer and set a new
direction," he said.
Mr Stewart has overseen a number of key projects
and initiatives during his time in the job since commencing in 2007.
Shire President David Morrell praised Mr Stewart
for his contribution to the Shire, with the search for an eventual replacement
likely to begin immediately.
Further information on this media
release may be obtained by contacting Councillor David Morrell on cr.morrell@denmark.wa.gov.au or
telephone 08 9848 0300.
Cr David Morrell
Shire
President
The
notice was posted on or around the beginning of December, so it’s likely that
Mr. Stewart is still on the look-out for another job. He may well have applied for the CEO position in York. (Applications closed on 15 December.)
Judging
from his entry in the FIGJAM website Linked
In, Mr. Stewart is a person of some consequence in the grimy world of local
government. He is a director of
the Local Government Managers’ Association WA. Before taking up the position in Denmark, Mr. Stewart served
for four years as CEO of the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu and before that, from 1996
to 2003, he served as Deputy CEO and Manager of Finance and Administration at
the Shire of Chittering…
Hold on a
moment—he did what? Did I say
Chittering? Does that mean he was
Ray Hooper’s offsider? Yes, he
was, and for several years. Unless
I have the chronology wrong, he may have left Chittering at around the same
time as Ray, or perhaps a little earlier.
Luckily,
our councillors are not the kind of people to impute guilt by association, so
if Mr. Stewart has applied I’m sure he’ll get a fair hearing. He might even get the job.
I must
say I’m not entirely persuaded by Cr Morell’s bland prose that the parting of
the ways was as amicable as he and Mr. Stewart would have us believe. It’s my impression that Mr. Stewart,
rather than leave voluntarily, may have been stealthily pushed and prodded into
seeking his fortune elsewhere.
If so,
then unlike his former colleague, the Sage of Alexander Heights, he seems to
have accepted his fate with cheerful mien and a very good grace. With such qualities, and maybe a push
from WALGA, he’s bound to be recycled before long.
Wild about Whooley
I’ll
finish by quoting from a report by Lisa Morrison in the Albany Advertiser for 4 December last year (retrieved from https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/great-southern/a/30274866/denmark-ceo-steps-down/
.)
At the local government election in October, the Shire's former
infrastructure services director Rob Whooley was among several new faces
elected to council.
Mr Whooley was sacked by Mr Stewart in June after he made serious
allegations about the Shire's governance, with Mr Stewart citing their ongoing
relationship as "untenable".
After the election, Mr Stewart played down the issues between
himself and Mr Whooley.
"At the end of the day, it is up to individuals to respond as
they see fit as to if a working relationship can exist," he said.
"Rob is one of nine councillors and the council needs to work
cohesively and collaboratively together in achieving the vision they wish to
achieve on behalf of the community."
Shire president David Morrell said Mr Stewart's departure was a
mutual agreement on amicable terms.
"It was really not an ongoing, viable option for Dale to continue in the role," Cr Morrell said.
"It was really not an ongoing, viable option for Dale to continue in the role," Cr Morrell said.
That new contract won't be worth the paper its written on if the Fraud Squad find some issues with the credit cards.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment my guess is they, the police, are waiting to see what happens at the 2017 elections before they decide whether to procede with the investigations. If the Liberals and Emporer Barnett get back in the investigation will be shelved. But if we get a Labour governement looking to clean out some of Colins cronies then we might find the Fraud Squad, and heaven forbid the Fitz Gerald Report, gain some traction.
Its all in the balnce, what a a shame we got a gelding and a girl for regional representatives in the National Party. They could have made a difference if they had dared to get out of the Emporer's bed.
Another twelve months to go compatriots.
The new contract won't be worth the paper it is written on if the Fraud Squad come up with anything. And I doubt they were called in on a hunch.
ReplyDeleteWatch that space.
I thought the Government was not supposed to interfere with Police matters.
DeleteIs it true the Fraud squad is waiting for the York Council to give the go ahead for the Fraud charges to proceed?
The Council formally requested the Fraud Squad to investigate.
DeleteI don't believe the Police will be asking for anyones permission to do anything, it is a legal process now governed by law and the protocols that uphold it..
The Shire President took the information to the city himself, I doubt he will now ask them to hold off on anything.
We need facts, the Council should be releasing media statements in relation to what is happening with Justice in York.
The poor blogs are doing the best they can with the scraps of information and fragments of truth that is out there.
We have no other free media in the Valley, just pathetic local rags propogating the spin emanating from the glass house on Joaquina St.
I doubt that the Shire is any better informed than the rest of us, but if it is, it should indeed be keeping us up to date.
DeleteDon't expect too much from the new council. It's a bit like a cult: newbies are swiftly inducted into the code of secrecy and silence, and before long councillors begin to arrogate to themselves a greater importance than they attach to the community they are elected to serve.
I recall Tyhscha loves a spit-roast, many a happy night was spent enjoying them, especially on a weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm not convinced she is committed to York, she was always a little self serving.
It's not fair to say Tyhscha's not committed to York. She's worked for the Shire for years.
DeleteWhat on earth have spit-roasts to do with anything? Sometimes people submit comments that baffle me completely. This is one such occasion. Please enlighten me, somebody.
Anonymous19 January 2016 at 23:36 - please tell us more about those spit roast evenings.
DeleteWas the spit roast lamb by any chance? - refer 'the other blog' Anonymous10 December 2015 at 00:20
"Occasionally looking after other peoples sheep", with or without them knowing.....?
Doesn't mean she is committed to the Town of York James. It means she likes the money and power her position provides.
DeleteThere are a couple of famous cases in the UK, as I'm sure there are in the colony, where senior bureaucrats appear to have resigned sacrificially while denying personal fault. But these cases are abnormal and highly contestable. Resignation is reserved for matters of personal culpability, such as misleading the public, stealing and/or exercising improper influence, to reiterate; 'exercising improper influence' as in patronism.
ReplyDeleteSenior administration staff are the public faces (unless spawning) of their respective agency and don't disown corporate responsibility. If their agency fails, then the role of senior staff is to accept the fact of failure, to offer explanation and to f**k off, as Ray quite rightly did. In this respect, they are expected to act in much the same away as private sector senior employees, or school principals in the public view.
Unless of course, the unions involved.
She has no shame and dosen't beleive she's done anything wrong. She's incompetent, lazy and vindictive. Pay her, her sister and Masuik out and start fresh. This new council and a new CEO has no chance otherwise.
DeleteI don't like the sound of that payout idea.
DeleteWe payed out Jurman because she shafted the Saints, and then re-employed her as a contractor.
We paid out Lanzke because he was grossly incompetent, only to re-employ him at 3 times the rate through OPUS to design that Wreck Centre carpark.
We paid out 3 employees that were butchered by the depot thugs, whom we are still paying to drive around in circles doing nothing of benefit to this comminity.
We paid Best to butcher us.
We paid Simpson to re-employ Tyscha
We have been doing a lot of paying out.
Thats why the pigs supressed the FGR to prevent the innocent victims from being payed out.
How about we do some financial audits by qualified independent accountants and find out where all the money has gone.
Then we won't have to pay out any more incompetent staff in the hope of replacing them with qualified, WALGA approved, dedicated, public servants.
Anonymous 20/1 @ 01:09 and 01:36, can you substantiate your comments? It's one thing to criticise on the basis of perceived or alleged fact, but abuse without substantiation only tells us that someone is disliked without explaining why. The issue isn't Tyhscha's character so much as whether or not she is the right person for her job and best value for money. (Though I'm not saying that character is immaterial...)
DeleteShe can't do her job which is glaringly obvious and ask anyone who's been subject to her venom about her character. All round not the right person to be DCEO.
DeleteDear Moderator, why are you obsessed with packages?
ReplyDeleteIts not always about how much the package contains but should be gauged on how the contents of the package are used.
What are you talking about? I'm not obsessed with packages. The term 'package' is widely used in the corporate and HR world. Sometimes it refers to various rewards bundled together as payment for being employed - e.g. 'salary package' which might consist of car, college fees, house, overseas junkets, free access to escort agencies and tax-dodging schemes like' salary sacrifice' as well as actual money.
DeleteOn a different but related tack, WALGA describes the papers sent to prospective applicants as an 'application package'.
In the above article, I think the term is used twice, once in relation to each of those senses. That hardly amounts to an obsession.
Does anyone know if the DCEO is permitted to work from home as part of her contract?
ReplyDeleteI don't think her contract mentions that. Why do you ask?
DeleteI suppose that could be a way of combining work with child care, but I can't see it happening without the approval or at least acquiescence of Acting CEO Dacombe.
The Gov car stayed home Tuesday at least till 12 noon.
DeleteI think you will find she was picked up by Marzuik in the morning and they went over to the Northam TAFE to start an intense 3 week course in financial management 101.
DeleteTo late she cried, the horse has bolted.
Does this mean those two are attempting to obtain some qualifications?
DeleteWhy bother wasting ratepayer funds of training Maziuk when she is bolting this year anyway?
DeleteWhat? Gail's leaving us? When and why?
DeleteOh yes she is leaving / retiring. She keeps saying anytime from early this year. She has basically stopped doing her job and is getting a junior staff member to do most of the work. This has been since last year. When you have a HR manager that the staff can not go to or trust in there is a major problem. Not soon enough when the day comes is what I say.
DeleteThe Fraud Squad won't want anyone to know when charges are imminent, they prefer the element of surprise.
ReplyDeleteLets hope the Councillors are switched on enough this time to do their own serious and detailed background checks on prospective CEO candidates before anyone is employed. I am very surprised they chose to use the WALGA recycling bin to search for someone. The trouble with the recycling bin, there's been years and years of 'networking' during conferences.
ReplyDeleteThere appears to be an awakening within some councils - the City of Perth sacked their CEO, Denmark has 'parted ways' with their CEO and the Shire of Sandstone used Mr. Mike Fitz Gerald to obtain applicants and short list them.
Pity our Councillors did not consider being totally independent of the Local Government Machine for the selection.
Our Councillors still have the option of not accepting any of the candidates in this round of applications.
Would they be brave enough to make their own decision and throw the net even wider by using Mr. Mike FitzGerald? At least Mr. FitzGerald knows the type of personality we don't need.
I agree, Anne. Choosing WALGA to do our recruiting was an opportunity thrown away. I doubt that the present council would feel able to take the same direction as Sandstone. Our councillors have been indoctrinated by establishment figures like the 'mentors'. We need fresh thinking and a bold new outlook if York is to recover from the Hooper years and the financial catastrophe imposed on us by Minister Simpson.
DeleteI think you are being a bit harsh on the new council James.
DeleteHow can you pass judgement when they havn't done anything yet.
Oh I see your point now.
Frozen in the headlights like startled rabbits.
Well we did promise to wait until this months council meeting to see what they would do with all of the crap on the table. The "residual issues".
Just table the FGR, call in the auditors, mediate with the agrieved parties and the rest will sort itself out.
The fallout from the FGR will well and truly remove Rays "Angels".
Will cu next week at the OCM James.
can we talk about current issues facing York and forget the past please
DeleteAh, what's that?.......A smidgen of bullshit with a hint of linguistic excellence, wait a minute what's that.......it's coming through, yes there it is,.. essence of arrogance, all washed down with a glass of imperious spirit, mature of course.
DeleteAnonymous @18:34 - Why don't you tell us what you think are 'the current issues facing York'? If you are prepared to kick off the discussion, I'll be delighted to publish your views. There's plenty of room on the blog.
DeleteRichard - A good try, but your epic struggle to say something witty seems to have come adrift because not securely anchored in an argument or explanation. E.g. what is the bullshit you refer to, where is the evidence of arrogance? I'm sure you can do better. C++
It was A for me Richard, I thought it captured the essence of the local aristocracy rather well.
DeleteIt brought to mind a vision of the Boyles, the Marwicks, the Weeks and the Lawrences.
Pop down the Wreck centre on a week night and you may just capture the image in kodacolour.
Thanks, Harold, I stand corrected. For some inexplicable reason I thought Richard was having a go at me - not because I'm arrogant, but because accusations to that effect have been hurled at me now and then by zombies on the dark side.
DeleteI've upgraded Richard's mark to B+. In all good conscience I can't give him an A, because my assertion stands that his comment is not securely anchored etc.
Anonymous21 January 2016 at 16:44 - you are so right.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, do the Councillors have the intestinal fortitude to table the FGR, call in the auditors, and mediate with the agrieved parties?
Great analogy: Frozen in the headlights like startled rabbits. They are too scared to even say hullo, let alone tell the community what they have achieved. Disappointing.
yes I watched them at the first council meeting they were trembling with fear as none of them have any competency to do what they are there for, except maybe one or two
DeleteAt the first meeting they spent more time playing childish games of oneupmanship over a couple of chooks than they did paying attention to the ratepayers raising serious issues.
DeleteThat poor old Judge got treated like they normally treat the local engineer, a joke.
I hope the new President has got his council united and focussed on the well being of the community, not personal journeys of self empowerment.
Time to answer the difficult questions Mr Presdident.
The FGR woud be a good start. Where is it and why did we spend all that time and money preparing it to then sit back and allow three village idiots to make up the rules and bury it.
The fact that two of them are ex shire presidents and the third was shafting everyone in sight to get his hands on the golden challice does not install great confidence in the shire presidents of the past, present or future.
Best you don't end up with a conical hat Mr President, break the mold, be an honest open and accountable president. We need one.
Table the FGR and deal with it!
DeleteThe new councillors were voted in in good faith to deal with the corruption, time for them all to start thinking for themselves instead of being led by the nose by those mentors who seem to be doing the bidding of the DLG!
What happened to those councillors who promised they would clean things up? Before they went into council they whinged constantly about the secrecy and promised they would make a difference. Now they tell us they cannot talk about council issues.
James...I found your following statement a surprise: I doubt that the present council would feel able to take the same direction as Sandstone. Our councillors have been indoctrinated by establishment figures like the 'mentors'. We need fresh thinking and a bold new outlook if York is to recover from the Hooper years and the financial catastrophe imposed on us by Minister Simpson. Didn't the good folk of York only just vote for these councillors??? Are you saying that the voters of York are idiots or were hoodwinked? Can I add though with the likes of Jane Ferro / Tricia Walters / Heather Saint and David Wallace, I am very surprised that they have gone down the usual path - these 4 were always VERY LOUD objectors to anything the SOY did or didn't do....suddenly the loud protestors do fall quiet...
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I was surprised to find myself making that statement. It sprang, so to speak, unbidden to the keyboard, but on reflection I believe it had to be made, harsh though it seems. Nothing would please me more than to find what I wrote to be untrue and to have to eat my words.
DeleteNo, I don't think York voters are idiots (though I have my doubts about the ones who voted for two councillors installed to represent and protect the interests of the local 'bunyip aristocracy'). Hoodwinked, possibly.
And I believe councillors have been hoodwinked by the mentors and possibly the A/CEO (of course, with every good intention) into accepting the distasteful proposition that they mustn't discuss council business with us lesser breeds to whom they ought to present a 'cohesive' front. What happened to 'open, honest and accountable'?
Please, somebody, prove to me that I'm wrong.
here here agreed
Deleteno the new council will be worse than the last as sure as I read this blog every day, they were full of ity until they were elected then they fell into the same dark hole and started making decisions that were just beyond belief and not in the peoples interests. Anyway just go and have a look at the Saints window - that bloody great for a damn Councillor in this town - its a disgrace!
DeleteI want York Council to be disbanded and Northam run York and Beverley all as one, we dont deserve to have our own Govt body we dont know how to support it
DeleteI call for York Council to be shut down forever, its a cost I can no longer afford and the people of York dont know how to get the most out of it, they just yell, scream and critisise
Anonymouse 5.14 you have run this comment by the blog in the past.
DeleteTry elaborating.
Here's a start.
I want York Council to be disbanded so we can be run by the mob from Northam, the crew that decided a maximum security detention centre on top of the town was a great idea. They might move the SITA tip closer in to York to save on fuel for the residents like Duperouzal that are working out there.
What a great idea.
And the only yelling and screaming that ever occured was a by the pompous gluttons that presided over "Ray Hoopers Council".
We didn't put up with the likies of Best and Simpson, and the crap they got up too,only to give in now.
Let the new council show us their balls first.
I bet they have got far more than any of the past councils we have had.
Oh and we might mention the brains that they have is a refreshing change.
Here's a good idea anonymous 5.14, how about we support this council and demonstrate that Democracy can actually work in the 21st century.
Anonymous21 January 2016 at 20:16 - can't agree with you more.
DeleteDoes anyone know what made Jane Ferro, Heather Saint, and Tricia Walters change their tune?
They seem to have forgotten why they were voted into council. We gave them support because we believed they were strong objectors to the way things were being done and we trusted them to do something to change the culture of the Administration.
I don't know about David Wallace, he said little during his first two years and I have a feeling he is listening too much to those mentors. Perhaps he is frightened ex cr. Pat Hooper will lodge another Minority Report from the sidelines.
Come on Mr. President show us you can be a leader, table the FGR and give us an update on where the Major Fraud Squad is with their investigation!
I don't have a problem with the stuff in the Saint's window, in fact I think it is a strong stand for the truth.
DeleteAt least people considering purchasing properties in this town can't say they were for warned about how this town is run and how some people are treated. Yes, it's still happening folks, just ask Meredith about catching Chadwick in the act.
Those named, shamed and featured in cartoons are so bloody thick, they believe their so called standing in the community will white wash the despicable things they did to people but it hasn't because people laugh and joke behind their backs.
At least Simon has the guts to expose the truth which is more than I can say for the current Council.
A friend of mine has been investigating the reason why councillors are reluctant to discuss council business with their constituents.
DeleteIt appears from what one councillor has said that A/CEO Dacombe has instructed councillors to keep quiet across a range of issues. To reinforce that instruction, he stamps all council documents 'Confidential'.
If that's true, I'm surprised that councillors would accept the instruction without question.
However, I'm sure Mr Dacombe thinks he's advising, not instructing, the Council. We can hardly blame him if Council interprets his advice as instruction.
I'm equally sure that Mr Dacombe understands his position, which is that of an employee of Council, not its boss. It's the Council that seemingly hasn't cottoned on to the fact that it is Mr Dacombe's employer, not vice versa.
So, councillors, when the A/CEO says that something is confidential and to be kept out of public earshot and view, ask him to justify his advice, i.e. to specify its basis in law and provide a rationale taking full account of relevant facts. If you don't agree with him, tell him so, and do what you think is right, not what you're told to do.
He'll love you for it, and so will we.
Can I ask when officially is the agenda for Council meetings required to be posted on the SOY site?
ReplyDelete5 mins before the meeting is normal so no one has a chance to know whats going on
ReplyDeleteCouncillors can't discuss an issue until it becomes an agenda item. Then all the facts should be presented to us at which time we can then lobby councillors, ask questions etc.
ReplyDeleteIf councillors were to talk to us before an item is finalised for discussion it will be all over town and this blog with only half the facts.
Not having the agenda out for next weeks meeting though is terrible, but thats on the administration not council.
Go to a councillor and ask them generally what they're working on and I'm sure they would be happy to give you a general overview.
It would be simple for the Shire President to provide a monthly update on what Council has achieved to date and what they are currently working on in the Voice of York page, that way the whole community is kept informed.
DeleteI am over the secrecy and I have lost faith in the councillors I voted for.
Why shouldn't the facts be available to the public as they unfold - as they are to the councillors?
DeleteNortham Court Monday 18th January : Christian Tarou Chadwick - Shire of York Employee.
ReplyDelete1 x count of aggravated burglary
1 x count of aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm.
So - no Grey Street charges?
DeletePresumably the charges you mention were remanded to District Court.
Did he enter a plea?
It would be a travesty if York Council missed the opportunity to interview, and possibly select, a Tertiary qualified candidate from outside the Local Government arena just because he/she is not in the recycling bin and a member of the closed shop..
DeleteTime our councillors took control of this very important situation. If the Kulin Shire President can do it, so can our Shire President.
I noticed an advert in todays (Sat.) West for a CEO for the Shire of Kulin.
ReplyDeleteApplications to be sent to Mr. Barry West - Shire President.
How come Kulin Shire President can take control of the applications for their CEO and our Council handed the power to WALGA to draw up a short list for them, thus risking only applicants from within the LG closed club making their way onto the list.
If, as someone suggested, Councillors are not privy to the names on the applications, we risk history repeating itself. Councillors must be able to do some background digging - they cannot afford to get it wrong.
The last thing we need is a CEO with ego driven control tendencies that jumped before he/she was sacked.
WALGA look after it's members so they are unlikely to to tell you if a CEO was given the push.
Buyer beware!
That's ridiculous. For the last time, of course they have their names and can research them. And, no matter who Walga shortlists council can view all applicants at any time.
DeleteAnonymous @ 14:58 - Thanks for the reassurance (you say, rather petulantly, 'for the last time' - when have you provided this crucial information previously?).
DeleteIt was a councillor who told me about the numbers system. Was that person lying or mistaken?
The real questions are - will our councillors take time from their busy lives to research applicants' bona fides, or will they delegate the task to a self-serving post-Fitz Gerald administration that few people now trust? And will they have the courage to resist, if necessary, a recommendation from WALGA and/or the A/CEO?
Whoever is appointed, I can guarantee that his or her antecedents will be exhaustively investigated by some very savvy residents.
Neither lying nor mistaken, but as usual only half the facts. Any organization likely to receive a large number of applications using recruiters numbers them. Its standard practice but they still get their names and full BIO. Move on to something factual.
DeleteSo you're saying that when a councillor tells me something, I can rely on getting only half the facts? Why is that? Show some respect for your employers.
DeleteI've been involved in recruitment from time to time in the past. I don't recall ever being given a numbered application to peruse, though I don't doubt that HR might have numbered its own copies for its own purposes.
This might surprise you, but many York residents are very interested in the process whereby a new CEO is to be selected. They are also apprehensive as to the outcome, especially so given that Council chose WALGA to do the recruiting. They don't want a corporate psychopath or recycled dinosaur from the Jurassic swamp, thanks very much.
If you think that left to our own devices we residents are likely to get only half the facts, why not publish full details of the selection process along with an explanation of how and why WALGA was chosen? That might put anxious minds at rest.
Move on to something informative.
I don't know if the councillor you spoke with knows half the facts, if you only heard half the story or what, as I wasn't there. The fact is that the information posted is wrong.
DeleteI don't have any affiliation with the shire at all BTW. I'm just a ratepayer like you and to assume anyone that points out a factual correction is from the dark side just alienates readers.
If it dosen't sound quite right then ask more questions James. Please try to accept on this occasion either you or your councillor has got it wrong and correct it in good grace for all to see. If you really want your blog to be helpful it has to be factual.
Please accept my sincere apologies for my mistaken assumption. In return, I hope you will agree that the tone of your correction, and phrases like 'as usual, half the facts', were misleading and capable of causing misunderstanding. I'm a bit puzzled, too, as to how you came by all the facts when to the best of my knowledge they have not entered the public domain (as in my view they should have).
DeleteWhatever the process of selection might be, the fact remains that it is open to manipulation. Yes, councillors can ask to see all the applications, but will they? If the A/CEO advises them to choose an establishment dinosaur over a young, dynamic candidate with relevant high-level qualifications, will they have the confidence to prefer their own judgement over his?
Like the rest of the human race, I am often wrong. I'm always grateful to folk who correct my mistakes and I thank you for taking the trouble to put me right.
But I find it hard to trust WALGA in any of its guises. Those are the people who last year voted down the mayor of Vincent's efforts to inject a bit of honesty, openness and accountability into local government spending. I still don't understand why, knowing that as they must (or should) have, councillors opted to appoint WALGA as their recruiting agency. Again, I might be horribly wrong, but it seems that the A/CEO and perhaps the mentors are leading them like lambs to the slaughter - though when our elected representatives reach the abbattoir, it's our blood they'll be shedding as well as their own.
As far as possible, I try to keep the blog factual, but sometimes the facts are hard to come by. Speculation is always perilous, but in the absence of facts it is usually better than staying silent, because it motivates critics to shed light into the darkness, as you have done. As the old saying goes, 'Facts are sacred: opinion is free'.
Anonymous25 January 2016 at 14:22 - could you please tell everyone how you know for sure councillors were provided with the names of the applicants?
DeleteAnonymous23 January 2016 at 22:42 - could that be because the Councillor was only told half the facts?
ReplyDeleteAs James said - show some respect for your employers!
give up James you are losing the plot close down the blog its really as bad as Days of our Lives
DeleteWhat do you mean by 'losing the plot'? In what respects exactly is the blog 'as bad as Days of Our Lives'? If it's that bad, why read it? You don't have to read it, and I won't mind if you don't, honest.
DeleteWhy is it so important to you personally that I should 'give up the blog'? I'm not going to, but I'd be interested to know how you would benefit from its disappearance.
Most people seem happy that this and its fellow blog are in operation in York. So I don't worry too much about the petulant ravings of primitive life-forms who not only dislike the blog but worse, watch Days of Our Lives.
We can always tell when certain people can't cope with the truth being revealed. They start writing 'give up', 'leave town' or 'you're not wanted here' or 'you should be run out of town'.
Delete'you should be run out of town' is a term previously used by Randell and his friends on face book.
Keep posting the truth James!
nothing factual about this blog plumerige its full of harmful propaganda you should be run out of town
ReplyDeleteYour brain is obviously not functioning too well today, but I think I detect a glimmer of neural activity there. So if your limited mental faculties are up to it - try giving them a charge by sticking live jumper leads on your ears - why don't you tell us what specifically is non-factual propaganda on this blog, why it's hurtful and who is being hurt by it that doesn't deserve to be?
DeleteAnonymous25 January 2016 at 18:20 yes lets run every one out of town the town you grew up in because everyone is making a mockery of the town you were bought up in, don't you ever get board of listening to they should be run out of town, if you don't like someone or they don't have the same opinion as you they should be run out of town, who says your the judge of who comes and goes. oh its you because of your welcoming stature.
ReplyDeleteanonymous 25/1/2105 18:20 I feel much pity for you.
DeleteIs your old Teacher assisting you to write your comments?
Any chance you have been re-incarnated from the wild west of America? They used to 'run people out of Town'.
this is ridiculous can we be more progressive here and talk about what could be done in York to bring it to life, this all sounds like a death march all this raking over old council stuff
ReplyDeleteWell, why don't you take the initiative and provide a list of all the things you think we should be talking about to bring York back to life? Maybe an extended article setting out your program for change? I'll be happy to publish? it.
DeleteBetter still, why not start your own 'progressive' blog?
Anonymous26 January 2016 at 15:35 - A little empathy wouldn't go astray, try walking in the shoes of those targeted by the Shire of York, then and only then will you have the right to comment!
DeleteRaking over old council stuff, sounds like turning over the rubbish to make good compost!
If that is what we have to do to see past wrongs dealt with, then so be it!
well its your blog James as you keep telling us - you write something positive - or are you just incapable of such a feat?
DeleteStill waiting to read about some positives... any positives....surely there are some good news stories in York, if not on this site, can you recommend any?
ReplyDeleteSuspect that is a plug for the other blog from the blog master.
DeleteJust read David's new article and letter - great stuff David.
No Val, you're wrong - it's much more likely the Facebook ranter.
DeleteThat said, I'm only too happy to join you in recommending David's article.
nO NO good news stories on James Blog hes a negative person with a terrible view on life and poor old York has got him
DeleteYou obviously don't know me. I don't have 'a terrible view on life'. I enjoy life. I read books, listen to music, study languages, steer clear (so far) of Facebook and Twitter and possess an essentially comic vision of the world and its inhabitants, including myself. As for poor old York...I'm not a particularly gregarious individual, but I'm not short of friends, not even here. How about you?
DeleteHere's a good news story: Adelphi King is our resident of the year for 2016. That's a great story! Congratulations, Adelphi.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 20:38, why don't YOU write some 'positives' instead of waiting for others to do it? What's wrong with you (on second thoughts, don't answer that - we already know).
Here's my suggestion for a 'good news' story - York identity who whinges constantly about the blog and pushes for the blog's moderator to be run out of town finally gets off his arse and starts his own blog to proclaim his lofty aspirations and program for change - helped of course by his surrogate grandpa.
I'd gladly publish that.
Hi James. I'm the person asking for some great / positive news stories. I'm an ex resident of York and an an ex employee of the SOY. I've only been following this blog for a few months (as well as the other one)...and I've made a few comments during that time. As you have pointed out and your supporters seemed to be impressed by... you have 80,000? followers or supporters...imagine if you posted a good news story once a week what that would do for tourism (no need to be your contribution - but contributions from all of the small business's / tourist operators etc) - spreading that message to your 80,000 followers etc should surely improve the market place, while you guys sort out the council...couldn't hurt... P.S Congrats to Adelphi - well deserved...see good things are happening in York :) we just need to hear about them from all different avenues of information.
ReplyDeleteI'm very pleased to make your acquaintance.
ReplyDeleteI have never said I have 80,000 followers or supporters. You're confusing this blog with the other one. What I said is that I have many readers in many different countries. I calculate this based on regularly recurring page views in those countries. Just lately, for example, I have had hundreds of such page views in Russia (I hope Mr Putin isn't going to put polonium in my coffee). Within a short time of my posting a fresh article, or an interesting exchange of comments, the numbers everywhere spike significantly, so I know what's happening isn't just people casually browsing the Web.
I have never declined to publish 'a good news story'. It is true that this blog, like the other one, was set up mainly to draw attention to problems originating in the Shire of York, so not surprisingly it has what some may consider (wrongly in my opinion) a negative bias. I say wrongly, because I hold to the unpopular view that 'If way to the better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst' and that there can be no forward motion until past hurts are acknowledged and healed. That is one of the lessons of history that we ignore at our peril. For example, it was the punitive aspects of the Treaty of Versailles ('squeeze Germany until the pips squeak') that helped pave the way for the rise of Hitler. More recently, we might trace the recent emergence of Islamic State and contemporary international jihadism in part to the destruction of infrastructure and destabilisation of society resulting from the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam's Baathist regime (though the roots go much deeper into Arab and world history). The process works on a small and less serious scale, too, as in York.
So turning over stones, as I think of it, is a positive contribution to York's future, not a negative harping on the past as those see it who want to run me out of town. Truth is often confronting, but never negative, though turning it to good use often requires imagination and brains.
As (I hope) a regular reader, you will I'm sure agree that I've more than once offered space on the blog for other people's contributions. I've done so again today, just a couple of hours ago. I'm happy to publish good news stories as well as contributions that express opinions hostile to mine. I love discussion and debate, the lifeblood of democracy. The conventional wisdom is that 'good news doesn't sell newspapers' but I'm not trying to sell anything.
Trouble is, nobody seems to have much to share in the way of good news, and there are a lot of unhappy people out there. And there's still a lot of bad stuff going on that people need to know and want to read about. Sorry, but that's the way it is.
Please remember that I'm not an experienced journalist. Nobody pays me for or subsidises what I do. I have to rely considerably on what people tell me is going on and documents coming in from various sources and directions. If tourism operators and the like care to use the blog to publicise their operations, I'm happy to consider helping them, but I very much doubt they would want to have anything to do with the blog (and that's fine by me too). If people have good news to share, let them write about it for publication on the blog. Why do I have to keep asking?
Here's a good news story: Shop local and receive a smile with most staff calling you by name and willingly helping you locate items the 'shelf fairies' have moved.
ReplyDeleteNo I do not have a business in York or work in any business. I shop local and take notice of how staff in our shops treat their customers.
Thanks, Lyn. I couldn't agree more. I shop local too. It's always a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteOK James lets do this publicly as you and the Blog are obsessed with the past and will just not move on to develop the town. So I challenge you - who are the disaffected people in this town by the acts of the past council, for example there is the Saints - with the dogs bollocks and Darlene with her house approval or whatever - who else is there, spell it out and lets have this open debate?
ReplyDeleteWhen you've responded to my challenge to describe what issues confront the town and to set out your program for change, and when you have the courage to identify yourself instead of concealing yourself like a feeble-minded coward behind the epithet 'Anonymous', I'll be happy to debate such matters with you. Until then, read the Fitz Gerald Report. That'll get you started.
DeleteI'm not 'obsessed with the past'. History is one of my passions. A knowledge of history is crucial to an understanding of the present. That's not an obsession, that's common sense - well, it is for an educated person.
Its one thing to critique local government as those people are paid and or elected by the ratepayers. Its another thing to use residents names and drag them into a public debate. Leave it out James please and dont get sucked into their games.
DeleteIf somebody challenges me to debate with them in public, I expect them to have the courage of their convictions, which includes saying who they are. I'm not dragging anyone into a public debate. I'm not 'using residents' names', either, I'm asking one resident to identify himself, that's all.
DeleteAfter what happened to some residents in York under the old regime, I think I can understand why people are still scared to identify themselves if their stance is critical of the Shire. But why my detractors should take cover as they do is beyond me. What are they afraid of? Is it because they know how ridiculous their words are?
what a cop out James - take up that persons challenge you will win wont you?
Deleteits Ok top publish photos and discredit people working on the council but its not OK to identify residents that have brought this town to its knees with their vendettas???
DeleteAnonymous @ 19:30 - I'll take up his/her challenge when he/she takes up mine. Anyway, there's enough in the FGR to keep him/her going for a while.
DeleteAin't it strange - everyone seems to have forgotten the sacking of the Council, the grotesque and costly interregnum under James Best, the purchase of Chalkies, the huge rates hike to pay for the administration's extravagance while Best and Simpson were in charge...there's an ancient Malay saying, 'living under a coconut shell' (hidup di bawah tempurung), meaning preferring to remain in ignorance of things that go wrong...bad stuff happened under the old regime, but a lot of bad things have happened since. The Shire's been a basket case for years.
There's my opening gambit. Now it's my opponent's turn. But first, your name...
Anonymous27 January 2016 at 05:06 So there seems to be two of us that had problems, I am not going to talk about all the things that happened to me on here and neither would the saints and neither would all the other people that had problems. as I have said in the past you have my name you want to know more you know were to find me.
Delete80,000 followers????? - you have the greatest comedy show in Australia James - BUT A WORD OF CAUTION OLD BOY dont take yourself too seriously most of the town think you are a joke as do the other 77,000 followers, be it that you have a core of say 20 that actually believe you bulldust
ReplyDeleteDear me old boy, I thought all the pompous fools had gone to ground. Now you show up.
DeletePlease read more carefully. I have never said that I have 80,000 followers. Where Anonymous @ 22:51 got that figure from, I've really no idea. I thought it might be from the other blog, but on reflection I don't think that's true. See my response to his comment. I don't have 'followers', an unfortunate term used on Facebook and Twitter. I have readers, but I can't say exactly how many though I have every reason to believe there are quite a few, mainly in Australia but a fair number overseas.
If everybody in town thinks I'm a joke, old boy, perhaps you'd like to explain why the vast majority of comments on the blog are broadly supportive of what I write. You are probably too stupid to understand the point, but your definition of 'most of the town' is somewhat different from mine, and probably consists of characters like yourself who have something to fear from further revelations on this and the other blog.
Speaking of which, old boy, I find it strange that people who peddle your kind of nonsense don't seem to have much to say on the other blog. I must really be getting to you, old boy. Toodle pip.
I've just received several gratuitously insulting and offensive comments, all from 'Anonymous', that I have decided not to post but to preserve as spam.
ReplyDeleteIn future, such comments will only have a chance of being posted if the authors identify themselves by name. Even then, they may not get a guernsey.
Sensible and politely worded comments hostile to my point of view will continue to appear on the blog, even if anonymous.
To my detractors: stop wasting your time and mine. If you don't like the blog, don't read it. I really won't mind.
Good for you James. Maybe now they'll have time to write all their views on moving forward and what they're going to do to ensure that happens.
DeleteNo as a long time reader I dont agree we should be able to read whats sent in
ReplyDelete