Today’s Melbourne Bayside Weekly –
Whiteside went out swinging
Former deputy mayor Helen Whiteside’s resignation letter has finally been made public after being suppressed by Glen Eira councillors. In her three-page letter, Mrs Whiteside, who resigned on July 31, expresses her dismay at Glen Eira Council. She writes about her desire to find out why the cost of reappointing chief executive Andrew Newton soared from $6500 to $44,000. ‘‘My request to be provided with all documents in relation to the process has been denied by both the lawyer and the council … As a consequence of my position on these and other matters some councillors have stopped communicating with me except in formal council meetings.’’
Glen Eira Debates 
November 22, 2010 at 9:34 AM
The $44,000 is not the end of the story by a long shot. The private tutorials that councillors are now having as a result of the inspector’s recommendations, at ratepayers expense, has not been made public. Nor has the decision about whether councillors will be reimbursed for showing up with lawyers to be interviewed by the inspector. How much is this costing? and why aren’t these decisions and costs made public?
We could even go back further to the 2005 double take on the reappointment of Newton. At one stage Esakoff requested financial support from Candy Broad to pay for council’s legal fees when Newton threatened legal action. It’s therefore very hard to believe that the total cost in 2005 was only $6,000. Did councillors pay their legal fees then, or was it again ripped out of ratepayers’ pockets?
I’m not objecting to legal costs. What I am objecting to is that the truth never gets to see the light and that such costs are the result of total ineptitude by councillors. Newton didn’t lie down in 2005 and you can bet your bottom dollar that the reason for legal costs in 2010 was also because he called in the legal troops. The cheapest and most efficient option then, and now, is simply to sack him and then all councillors should resign. Glen Eira needs to start afresh with a total clean slate. Get rid of all the baggage – heads must roll.
November 22, 2010 at 7:21 PM
Whiteside has hit upon the solution. No councillor should talk to any other councillor except in council chamber. At least then we, the poor suffering public, would be absolutely certain that no secret deals had been concocted beforehand by a bunch of buddy councillors. I dips me hat to you Helen. Pure genius!