A CHANGE of city chief executive has left Wodonga councillor Ron Mildren being more at liberty to talk in public about municipal affairs, although he still feels he has a "sword of Damocles" hanging over him.
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The first-term representative made the comment after it was claimed at Tuesday night's Wodonga Ratepayers' Association that council chiefs were operating a "dictatorship" that left councillors and voters ignorant of municipal matters.
Cr Mildren said the chief executive has the authority to declare things confidential and until five to six weeks ago "absolutely everything" in a briefing was given that status.
"It meant that councillors were unable to speak about it anywhere outside the council chamber," he said.
"A few weeks ago that declaration was modified and there's a bit more grey attached to it but there is still a sword of Damocles hanging over our head a bit, but if we speak about what goes on in a briefing meeting we need to be a bit circumspect on how we do it.
"It's not as black and white as it was."
The change in approach follows the departure of Patience Harrington as the council's chief executive and interim managers filling that role.
The association is considering a freedom of information bid to find how much compensation the council received for the Olympic pool retiling at WAVES.
Association president Ian Deegan said the council's argument it was confidential was a "load of codswallop"
