WODONGA’S move to a two-year mayoral term blindsided new councillors, with one suggesting they may have been wedged.
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The council broke with recent practice and elected mayor Anna Speedie to a two-year, rather than one-year, term at Monday night’s meeting.
New councillor Tim Quilty said in councillor talks before the meeting there had been no discussion of the period switching.
“Maybe two years was fine, it’s just that it was sprung as a surprise,” Cr Quilty said.
“I’m not sure why it needed to be a surprise.”
Cr Quilty said colleagues Libby Hall and Ron Mildren had been equally stunned by the term switch.
All three voted against the move, while Cr Speedie, John Watson, Danny Lowe and Kat Bennett supported it.
On Facebook, Cr Quilty theorises the lack of detail on the two-year move was linked to splitting the council.
“Maybe it was part of a plan to drive a wedge between new councillors, make the three on the outside distrust those in the inner circle, and then to use the distrust to bind the inner four closer together,” Cr Quilty wrote.
“Or perhaps the motive was something altogether different.
“I suppose time will tell.”
Following Monday night’s meeting, Cr Speedie said a two-year term was not unprecedented, pointing to Mark Byatt occupying the mayor’s seat for that time from 2008.
“It’s actually where the state government is moving, they’re actually looking to change the legislation to do that because of the relationships...that are established particularly with government and private sector,” Cr Speedie said.
Talk of not being forewarned at a council briefing will prompt further debate about the role of such forums.
“I’m more than happy to discuss everything in public, I think our closed meetings shouldn’t be closed,” Cr Quilty said.
“I’m going to push for at least recording them and putting them online later, if not letting the public in.
“I’d like to see every meeting council held recorded on video.”
Cr Quilty noted there were commercial-in-confidence matters that could not be aired contemporaneously, but he would like relevant information released at a later date.
He said councillors had been warned about what they may or may not post on Facebook but he planned to report on the site regularly after council meetings.