Forgive the levity of this post, but we thought we might have some fun with our legal eagle councillors and all of those working in compliance, corporate counsel, and so on. We could even be talking 50 well paid staff and councillors. So, how come they can’t get a simple thing like one sentence correct?
We cite the opening sentence from Section 4.8.2 of the Councillor Code of Conduct which reads
“Councillors’ decisions are made in Statutory Council Meetings”.
In the first place, councillors DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS – only Council does that! In the second place, the only decisions made at ‘statutory’ meetings are the election of the Mayor, and possibly membership/delegations on committees. Ordinary council meetings are not ‘statutory’ meetings – they are simply Council Meetings! but we guess the use of such language is imposing, impressive, obfuscating, and in the end just plain wrong! And we didn’t go to law school either.
Glen Eira Debates 
March 18, 2011 at 10:33 PM
Remind me never to seek legal advice from Lipshutz, Tang and Hyams. Not even for a lousy parking ticket!
March 19, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Weasel words. That’s what they’re good at. Bet there are stacks of other bloopers all through. Then again, not bloopers, just another way of putting people off and sounding so authentic.
March 19, 2011 at 10:54 AM
Let’s see. 3 councillors on $26,000, + a corporate counsel earning I reckon about $200,000 if not more and then all the little head kickers which would tally up to another Million or so. The grand total somewhere perhaps in the region of $1,500,000. let’s chip in and send them back to law school for remediation. They sure need it.