Join the local democracy
I knocked, I walked, I ran, I drove and 1203 citizens voted for Newton Gatoff. While not enough to get me elected to Glen Eira Council, I have found a wonderful community spirit alive and kicking across our city – with one big problem.
There were at least 13 per cent who spoiled their votes in Tucker Ward, who clearly didn’t want this election. Tucker’s voters returned the three incumbent councillors.
The new arrivals in Camden and Rosstown ward exude a palpable freshness. I cannot accept these elections should be compulsory.
Ban the mandatory vote (at least for local government elections), but let’s have a referendum on that.
And either get an electronic voting system or make it postal votes only in all local government areas. The election is ultimately more engaging if only tnose who want to, take part in it. We may be surprised how much more we can achieve from a positive democracy.
Newton Gatoff
An election thank-you
On Saturday October 27 I was humbled to be re-elected as a Glen Eira councillor for a second term.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who voted for me. For those who did not vote for me, I will continue to serve you as your friend on council
Thank you for placing your trust in me.
Oscar Lobo
Glen Eira Debates 
November 7, 2012 at 1:02 PM
I don’t agree with Mr Gatoff’s ideas entirely. The invalid vote in Tucker is a worry and this percentage doesn’t even take account of the 3 to 4% donkey vote that must have occurred. The answer is not to do away with compulsory voting but to make sure that people know what is at stake and how local governments can affect all the important elements in people’s lives.
This election was a standout in that no-body knew anything about most of the candidates. The Leader was non existent and council likewise. What should happen in the future is to make it compulsory for all candidates to front residents with their election platforms and to be available to answer questions. This can be facilitated by councils and through their websites. Of course the legislation must change for all this to happen. I’d also like to see the cost for standing hiked up so that many stooges might think twice.
Those people returned would be foolish to think that the electorate returned them because they have done such a wonderful job as councillors. Most got back because they had the time and money to spend on electioneering and I think that in Rosstown it could have been the better the devil you know than one you don’t. Lack of viable alternatives would also have been a factor.
The vec were unbelievably poor this time around which also didn’t help. Lots of things need reviewing but getting rid of compulsory voting isn’t one of them. I’d hate to think that some of these clowns were returned with only 5% of the entire electorate having a say.
November 7, 2012 at 4:33 PM
No coincidence that Hyams, Okotel, Lipshutz, Pilling, Lobo and Esakoff didn’t or couldn’t show up to the gera residents forum
November 7, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Macca.
Voters are generally apathetic or uninterested. That applies to all elections, but none more so than municipal elections.
It’s a very small sample, but I was at a local function a week before the election. I raised the poll with 10 people. 3 weren’t even aware there was an election. 4 had no idea who they would vote for – 2 of whom didn’t even know the Ward they were in. Of the remaining 3, 2 considered it an inconvenience to vote and intended to take the devil-you-know approach. There was only 1 of the 10 who had taken an interest in the candidates or the election. Apathy and no interest reign supreme.
Anonymous,
The reason those candidates didn’t attend the GERA meeting is because it is – regrettably- largely irrelevant.
November 7, 2012 at 5:35 PM
Anon – Smart Aleck – The forum was for new candidate to brain wash them and indoctrinate negativity. Councillors have attended this in the past and know exactly what the forum is all about. The new candidates were gullible as they thought they would learn a lot from this forum and some on the basis of this ran ill thought campaign which back fired them.
Abraham Lincoln’s saying applies here for GERA,this blog and the anonymous writers: You can fool all the people some of the time……..
November 7, 2012 at 6:42 PM
This has got to be the most ignorant and stupid comment of the past week. I went to the forum and how a question and answer session can be thought of as indoctrination is beyond me. The real indoctrination goes on at council and the old councillors have swallowed everything hook line and sinker.
November 7, 2012 at 11:31 PM
Agreed, the most ignorant and stupid comment of the past week (and there have been a number of contenders for that particular aware).
Obviously the Big and Small did not attend the forum and has never looked at the GERA website. At least the GERA website substantiates all it says and allows folks to read the facts and draw their own conclusions.
On the other hand Big and Small throws around unsubstantiated slurs.
Big and Small needs to consider their quote and apply it to themselves.
November 8, 2012 at 7:50 AM
You come across like a sore loser, Gatoff. You undertook a gigantic task. Most candidates ran their own campaigns which is a mammoth effort. The cost is not huge, $3-5k but the personal effort is enormous. Had there been a postal vote there would have been up to 30 standing in each Ward. This would have been ridiculous. It is obvious that changes need to be made in the LGA to improve the electoral process. The Muncipal Inspector was very busy phoning candidates that were obvious stooges asking how they resolved their preferences. I assume they were inundated with people keen to dob in their opponents when they noticed that someone had 6 second prefs. and was going hard. My observation was that the incumbents were the biggest offenders with running stooges in the postal voting. By having attendance voting it almost kills the candidates that are not ALP or Greens.
Incumbency is a tremendous advantage. It will be interesting to see the returns by the candidates outling donations. Good on you for having a go Gatoff. You probably learnt alot and we are all better off because you had a go. Be a few retirements in 4 years time.
November 8, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Its great to have a bunch of candidates prepared to stand and provide alternatives. If it does prove that incumbency is such an advantage that few others have a realistic chance that would be a concern, but this time round we have 3 new faces—albeit one of them to replace a councillor who chose not to stand again. I’d prefer to see people being given better options than voting informal, at least to distinguish between people who aren’t happy with the choices available, and those who are completely uninterested in the process.
Looking at the electoral material available, there were strong similarities between the pitches of the various candidates. Incumbents had the advantage that they could talk about big projects where our money has been spent, although somehow spending money is always going to happen. What was much harder to assess is how people would actually make decisions and what weight they would attach to various factors for and against a proposal. For incumbents, you can see what they have done in the past, and in my case I didn’t like their decision-making.
November 9, 2012 at 4:59 PM
There is no doubt that incumbancy is an advantage but only if you are doing well. Everyone expected Penhalluriack to get back. Forge should also have got back considering where she was on the ballot paper (First). They did not and that is because the electorate saw through them and their negative campaign. Incumbents are better off than other candidates but they also have to be doing ok as well, You might excuse Penhalluriack’s defeat on all the negative publicity but what is the reason for Forge’s defeat?
November 8, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Now that the election is over, anyone notice that the fencing has gone up again around the new Booran Road park. What has happened to the Caulfield Racecourse agreement entered into by Councillors Pilling, Esakoff, Lipshutz and Hyams with the MRC? Maybe this is the question that should be asked of the two new Camden Councillors.
November 8, 2012 at 11:45 AM
the people have voted. MRC can do whatever it wants. Who wants to bet that the Neerim Road stables will be turned into apartments?
November 8, 2012 at 2:59 PM
I will take your bet. that is Crown Land. Then I suppose that the MRC could cut a deal with the Queen. They have a fair bit of clout.
November 8, 2012 at 12:15 PM
The Greens and Labor candidates did not receive any funding from the MRC for their election campaign. In fact Danby has been the only Politician doing anything about C60. Stand by for this to be an issue at the Federal and State elections.
November 8, 2012 at 6:51 PM
You have to be joking. C60 is over. It is an ammendment of the Glen Eira Planning scheme. It has probably passed both houses in the State Parliament. That makes it law. It is irreversable. Town Planning is a State responsibility. Mr. Danby can do nothing about it. That hill must have some thin air. Come down for a spell. Call Michael’s office and they will confirm.
November 8, 2012 at 8:38 PM
Spoken like a true gang member – your time will come
November 9, 2012 at 7:57 AM
Thanks to Pilling, Esakoff, Lipshutz and Hyams, in the most blatant kowtow to the MRC vested interests and disregard of residents C60 was passed on to the State Govt and residents rights to object were removed.
But the issue isn’t dead, once construction states the issue will be raised and will remain raised because of the disasterous traffic impacts caused the powers that be’s total inability to see the combined impact the Monash Uni and C60 and Dandenong Road Stonnington side developments will have on Melbourne’s main eastern road access and the total inadequancy of the rail (metro and state) system – grade separation won’t happen for decades. Ain’t gonna just be commuters and residents voices crying out, they’ll be joined by industry and rural eastern Victoria.
November 9, 2012 at 8:47 AM
C60 may be over but the Racecourse agreement isn’t. Politicians who openly lie, especially when the agreement was in writing, have a hard time being taken seriously on other matters. What do you think has been happening to Ju-liar Gillard over the carbon tax. Same thing will hit Hyams, Esakoff, Lipshutz and Pilling as well as Southwick at state level. You can only blame an elderly resident for the delay once.
November 9, 2012 at 4:52 PM
I can see it has really hit Hyams, Esakoff, Lipshutz & Pilling! Unless you were living under a rock, they were all returned to office being 1st elected. So much for resident backlash
November 9, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Danby said nothing at all about C60 when it was an issue. He only came in during the election to give support to his favourite candidates, Delahunty, Penhalluriack & Forge. Where was he when it really counted! He has never been interested in local issues. His involvement was no more tahn party politics – and you were suckered in. More fool you!
November 8, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Fence is back cos it don’t look too good when 100,000 bodies show up for the races. That could be embarrassing and an aesthetic no-no. Now it’s back so it can stay like that for another year and they won’t even have to whipper snip the grass or do a dam thing knowing that the gang won’t say boo.
November 8, 2012 at 1:04 PM
From the caulfieldvillage web site re Booran Road Park: “The works to create a new Park on Booran Road at the Glen Eira Road roundabout are progressing well. The physical works to demolish the buildings and prepare the site are almost complete. The next stage is to complete the Town Planning process and required Landscape works prior to the Crown taking possession of the land and creating a Public Reserve. Allowing for Planning and Landscape works we expect the Park to be opened in 2012.”
Mind you, the same page talks about Council approval of C60, so it can’t be relied upon. As we know, Council never approved C60. That decision was made by a subcommittee consisting of Crs Lipshutz, Esakoff, Hyams, and Pilling.
November 8, 2012 at 1:16 PM
I am surpised that the land is still there and hasn’t been turned into parking by the MRC or just become part of the racecourse. Glen Eira Council and Southwick have allowed the MRC to ride roughshod over the residents. This will never become a park and the fencing on Queens Avenue and Neerim Road will never be removed. Question now is what compensation should be provided to Council now that the agreement is no longer.
November 8, 2012 at 5:08 PM
Compensation is unlikely because our brilliant legal minds (yes I am being sarcastic) of Hyams and Lipshutz did not think of including such a clause in the agreement. Like GESAC agreement with Hansen and Yunken, we find that Glen Eira contracts aren’t worth a pinch.
November 9, 2012 at 1:59 AM
The Booran Road “Park Fence”was removed after the Cailfield Cup, hust prior to GE elections and funnily enough it has been re-constructed.
The gates at the Glen Eira Road Hirsey entrance are frequently closed well before dusk and it seems people are being locked on the racecourse because of this “unusual Mistake”.
We all need to ask one person each a day if they can make any suggestions as to how we can come to some resolution of this problem. aving paid thousands for legal action in the hope fpor easy access it seems to have become more restricted.l
It may be correct that a federal political heavy may resolve the problem…however, when addressed by mail no-one even bothers to reply and the local mamber only told a story regarding the hard surface problem.
Do GE Debates readers realise that the large area in Booran Road, where the tin slummy looking horse complex is currently located, as well as the Neerim Road Aqanita Lodge Stables were all part of the Crown Grant?
Other areas had been snatched for the Railway and somehow for the VATC Carparks and also for the “ro8unding off” of the area to the north of the grandstand and for housing and railway on an area towards Grange Road. The area has just been gradually nibbled away and locked up in favour of one of the interests i.e. racing in a majority of occasions for revenue raising purposes which we ratepayers support with subsidised rates, closed street with no notice and grid locked streets not to mention the industrial bin collection most nights between 3 and 4 am and areas consequentlt floodlit alll night which wakens the birds who also twitter all night. .Our council really cares for our amenity as its members bury their heads in the sand so as to speak?????
Could it be a Commonwealth matter as the land was gifted to the community prior to federation in about 1858? If there are any ideas available plese forward them.
November 9, 2012 at 1:48 PM
Any authority over the land is with the State. You have as much power over how it is used as the Commonwealth.
November 9, 2012 at 4:50 PM
All you critics forget one thing – the people have spoken. If C60 was such an issue Lipshutz, Esakoff, Pilling & Hyams would have lost. – Instead, Lipshutz, Esakoff & Hyams were each first, not 2nd or 3rd, but 1st elected in their wards. Also, all that C60 did was to re zone the land. If the MRC now want to develop they have to apply for a Planning permit and that is where the argument will be as to traffic, height, etc.
As for Danby, his credibility is shot after he endorsed Penhalluriack & Forge. Where was Danby when C60 was an issue. If he cared so much about C60 why did he not attend any of the Special Committee meetings – I did! Why did he not make any submissions to the Council or indeed the Victorian government. His entry into the fray after the horse has bolted is no more than a cheap political gambit. Don’t get suckered in! C60 is an issue but the real fight will be when the planning applications are made.