Please click on the link to view last night’s Channel 7 story. The image is an artist’s impression of Claire St when 12 houses are replaced with 100 dog boxes!
https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/29882452/two-houses-holding-out-against-mckinnon-complex-plan/
PS – following up from our previous post on responses to Minister Wynne’s request for council feedback, Kingston Council has also published its views in the current agenda. Again, the submission and its detailed analysis puts Glen Eira to shame – as does the simple fact that both Bayside and Kingston published their submission BEFORE sending off to the Minister and thereby having their work ratified by council decision. None of this happens in Glen Eira – it is all done behind closed doors and in secret.
Here is the Kingston officer’s report and the submission
Glen Eira Debates 
October 23, 2015 at 12:19 PM
Jesus bloody christ. Only thing missing are kleenex and violins. This is the bloke who votes for every single high density application. Sickening.
October 23, 2015 at 1:02 PM
If Jim Magee, and the other Glen Eira Councillors didn’t think it would be appropriate for wall to wall, 3 storey apartment blocks to swallow up Claire Street, McKinnon, then WHY did they sign off on planning zones which have allowed this to happen???
It’s a bit late to come out now, after the damage is done, and cry foul on VCAT for approving developments like these, when it was the Council who set it all in motion.
You’re not fooling me, Jim Magee! Why don’t you have the decency to at least admit that you, and your fellow Councillors made a HUGE MISTAKE?
October 23, 2015 at 1:17 PM
I agree with you entirely. Magee’s performance is hypocritical in the extreme. I presume he is already gearing up for next year’s election. I wouldn’t think that this will save him.
Two years have now passed since the zones came in. Council has had adequate time to carefully evaluate what is happening and, as has been said countless times here, they have decided to do nothing. I call this negligent.
October 23, 2015 at 1:59 PM
Not earth shattering but still valid on governance. The Kingston report I notice has author named as well as those higher up who authorised the report. Glen Eira could learn a lot from how other councils go about being transparent and assigning responsibility to individuals for what they do. I would love to know who wrote the 11 cent letter and who gave permission for this money to be spent on a pack of lies.
October 23, 2015 at 9:37 PM
I am disgusted by the 11 cent letter. The total disregard for the truth is disgusting – Vote them out. Don’t give one of these councillors the chance to vote on our future they have all proved themselves totally and utterly incompetant
October 24, 2015 at 8:28 AM
He is a Master of Baloney!
October 23, 2015 at 1:09 PM
Cr Magee is a joke! How can he and the other councillors put forward the planning scheme which allows this to happen (without any community consultation) and then make out it is someone else’s fault that it is happening – these councillors must go! we must vote them out! this community has had enough of their pathetic words and lack of action to represent this community. VOTE THEM OUT!!!!
October 23, 2015 at 1:27 PM
Agree vote the bastards out. But also remove the pathetic full time staff that provide the lame reports that these councillors rely on to approve these building types. The place needs new councillors that represent the community and overlays on the PS to limit height development. Along with staff that can advise toward the direction of making this happen.
October 23, 2015 at 1:34 PM
This council is going from one public relations disaster to another. Hubris definitely comes before a fall. Well done Jimbo – keep it up.
October 23, 2015 at 2:57 PM
It is time for New Faces on the Council, ones that will back the voters needs. I presume 98% of the voters in the electorate would be against these multi-storey developments. It is not too late to pull the pin……
Over time, the character of our neighbourhood will change, and when that happens, I don’t think it is going to be a desirable place to live.
Many of us have spent thousands of dollars improving our homes, destined for a long future in the area, and out of the blue Planning Schemes are uprooted with no discussion and no feedback from the voters!!!
We need to keep the character of our suburbs, a mix of older type homes and the updated renovated homes, along with some modern new homes. Even dual occupancy “side by side town houses”, but NOT 3-4 and beyond multi storey concrete blocks.!!!!
I am a normal mum of 3 children all of whom were schooled in the area, all played sport in the area. We renovated our home some 5 years ago as we loved the area of East Bentleigh. To see our suburb change so much in just under 3 years is so sad………but we can all make that change. We need to speak as ONE!!! I have lived in East Bentleigh for 26 years and hope to be here for another 26 years!!
I will be putting myself in a position to stand for Council in the next election. What have I got to offer, just someone who respects the City of Glen Eira, someone who wants to keep as much Open Space in Glen Eira (Sport and Recreation), someone who will stand up and be heard with relation to Multi Storey Developments and Humongous Apartment Blocks….I have a voice…and I will speak up for YOU.
Together we can all make it happen………….it is never too late. …Kay Rimbaldo
October 23, 2015 at 3:08 PM
Also wanted to add, I don’t blame our Councillors, most of the time they do good, but some new blood will stir things up, especially if they are standing up and speaking on behalf of the voters, and not just to get their heads in the paper!!!
October 23, 2015 at 3:42 PM
Having new faces in council can only be good on the proviso that they are there to serve the electorate and not themselves. Welcome to the fray Kay if this is your aim. Unlike you, I do blame councillors for much that has been occuring in Glen Eira. They are the ones who let the zones come in without consultation and without even doing the necessary groundwork. They are also the ones who for years have voted against a tree register when people have been demanding this for a very long time. They are also the ones who decided to let Frogmore be demolished rather than going to a panel and letting residents have their say. All of these things and plenty more are what councillors did. Most of them, including Magee, will say what they think people want to hear. Ask them what they have achieved and the answer would have to be basically nothing. Too many of them have been in for too long and have fallen into line with officers.
October 23, 2015 at 4:59 PM
Councillors are the head of Council – they are there to ensure that the municipality in governed in accordance with the residents wishes. The Administration is there to manage the daily operations of Council – they report to Council. This who reports to who is enshrined in the law.
Yet in Glen Eira the roles have been reversed much to the detriment of the residents. Councillors bear full legal responsibility for this as they has allowed it to happen.
Kay, if you are willing to fight for the residents against an Administration that has a firmly entrenched culture of knowing more than the residents (Newton’s long overdue departure won’t result in an overnight change) then you already have my vote.
October 23, 2015 at 4:49 PM
Would you care to list ten good things (other than rubbish collection) that Councilors do well
October 23, 2015 at 5:11 PM
they do crap job in collecting street rubbish
October 23, 2015 at 5:14 PM
1. pretend that they love each other
2. not answering emails or letters
3. not standing up against lousy answers to public questions
4. not stomping on Lipshutz and the gang over conflicts of interest
5. letting Newton and Burke have their way all the time
6. not protecting heritage
7. not forcing changes to the planning scheme
8. not forcing developers to pay a levy for drainage
9. not insisting that there is good governance all around
10. that will do for starters
October 23, 2015 at 8:17 PM
Sport a rec shouldn’t get preference over passive open space, they are of equal importance to residents, much less than 20% of residents play sport in Glen Eira, and almost all our open space in dominated by sporting needs.
We have so little open space, the lowest for any council in Victoria. What we don’t want is another sporting mad councillor who see everything through the lens of sporting mania. Residents are sick and tired of the huge sums of council money spent on sporting fads, whilst trees and quality open space areas get second rate treatment and or the chop.
Yes we do want to keep what open space we have, but we also need to increase on that total.
Kay you will have to do better than that to win my vote. Your short rational is outdated and just plays in the hands of the status quo at the town hall who love to spend on infrastructure, whether we need it or not. Spending is their game.
We need progressive thinkers not more of the same old rhetoric from the sporting fraternity.
October 24, 2015 at 9:37 PM
As a sporting club person Kay, what do you think of the way council treats sports clubs?
October 25, 2015 at 8:47 AM
You can want sought of a councillor Kay will make, a good of self promoter, and tight lipped when it comes to answering any questions.
I sense danger here with this babe in the woods. I wonder if she has ever been to council meeting, or even had any dealing with anybody or issue in Glen Eira.
October 23, 2015 at 5:22 PM
OOOh Mr. Magoo you’ve done it again, and again, and again ……. forever
It’s likely and BIG mistake to mention Mr Magoo and Einstein in the sentence
but Einstein not Magoo don’t get them mixed up for dog sake,
did say “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”
(MODERATORS: sentence deleted)
October 23, 2015 at 6:08 PM
12 to 100, Piling that that much laughed at Green crusader who starting his career in black jeans only to end up in a cheap suit, will be wetting his shiny fabric with delight over those numbers, I hear he’s going for a Order of Australia for services rendered to developers, which I’m told has got Magee furious, as no one has worked harder than him for the developers.
Anyhow, I went to the police today and put in a list of missing persons reports for Jamie Hyams, Margaret Esacoff, and Michael Lipshutz, since no one as heard from any of them for months. The very charming she policeman did say their been a heap of disappearing Liberals lately. She did a quick check of their credit cards, and they all have been uses as late as this morning to purchase toilet paper and sim-cards in a general store 100K north of Melbourne.
She light heartedly said with a giggle, they will be OK, and they are likely just hiding out with Newton near Yea, She continued talking, whilst pointing over my head and across the road, suggesting that, when the cards max-out they’ll be back at the Town Hall just over there on the other side of the road. She could be right I thought.
October 24, 2015 at 7:25 PM
Pilling is solely responsible for the destruction of our suburb in Carnegie by encouraging builders to build 4 storeys.Pilling has dragged down popularity of Essakoff and OKotell. He is a Bozo and talks nonsence.
October 23, 2015 at 9:33 PM
Anonymous your post is challenging
I would like to ask where our councillors have been – no information in the local paper, no information posted in out letterboxes, no information at all. Where is Margaret Esakoff, where is Jamie Hyams, where is Neil Pilling. Nowhere, no presence in our shopping centres, no presence by way of pub lic meetings, no presence at all. Is that what we want from publicly elected representatives – I don’t think so! I only hope that none of them stand for re-election because none of them take the views of residents into the council chamber and vote with our interests at heart. VOTE THEM OUT in 2016
October 24, 2015 at 5:09 PM
I know where Piling is, he is having a DNA test done to prove once and for all he’s Jamie Hyams lost brother
October 23, 2015 at 9:51 PM
I hope my post is challenging because I don’t want these so called ‘representatives’ to be sitting in the council chamber any longer – they don’t deserve any respect at all as they have not represented the community that elected them. I don’t recall any of them stating in their election material that they would totally sell out their communities to developers who have no interest in anything but making huge profits at the expense of residents who have paid their rates and expect something back in return
October 24, 2015 at 11:03 AM
You are right they don’t deserve our respect, they all have folded up like wet paper bags, none of them having the personal courage to represent any other opinion than what is generated by the town hall mercenaries. The trouble is finding people that can do the job, and being able t pick the honest ones from the conservative liars.
October 23, 2015 at 10:03 PM
Has anyone had a look at the Kingston submission. They make a lot of sense to me because they insist on good research to start and include things like all zones that are now geared for housing and not what Glen Eira keeps saying is just the 3 zones of neighbourhood, general and the growth zone. They are also insisting that parking be looked at. Not one of these things got mentioned in the Glen Eira submission. Our council is very happy with the way things are.
October 24, 2015 at 10:48 AM
Magee says what he thinks people want to hear and this is exactly what he is doing now. Of course none of what he says is followed up by any action, if it was we wouldn’t have the disasterous planning scheme that we have now. A mayoral appearance at VCAT is pure showmanship. Shame on you.
At least Lipshutz, Hyams, Pilling Esakoff and Delahunty are open in their disregard for residents and blatant support for the Administration.
At the last elections Jim said he wouldn’t stand again in 2016 – lets hope this is the one time he keeps his word.
October 24, 2015 at 1:04 PM
This man has dual personalities and disregard and projects poor image to the residents (MODERATORS: rest of sentence deleted)
October 24, 2015 at 9:45 PM
Would like to see Magee sue this blog for defamation.
Could be the most ill-advised libel case since Tommy Docherty sued Willie Morgan.
October 24, 2015 at 12:29 PM
Hi readers, it’s too early to talk about election of Councillors. First, they will be choosing a new CEO. I know it is hypothetical, but if you were a Councillor what kind of CEO would you like to lead our Council. Here is my wish list to change the culture of Glen Eira administration:
* a woman CEO would have an immediate impact;
* she would be passionate, committed and experienced in participatory democracy i.e. effective community and residents consultation processes;
* understand that local government has a vital role in shaping the development of an area, which impacts on residents lifestyle, in particular its public realm i.e. quality urban design and proper structure planning of its physical and social infrastructure;
* persuasive and co-operative leader of people to get an organisation that is transparent, open and believable in its dealings with the public.
Bloggers, what would you like to see in your CEO?
October 24, 2015 at 11:28 PM
Conanon, my advise is to forget the female vs. male angle. Its less relevant than the qualities required.
The most important characteristics, that were missing from the current incumbent and the pervasive culture he leaves in place, are
* a belief that the best decisions are based actively and genuinely seeking community input and on an objective analysis that fairly and accurately considers the pros and cons being presented.
* that öpen, transparent and accountable governance, responsiveness and community engagement are not just buzz words, they are essential to ensure good decision making, acceptance of decisions and fostering a sense of community.
The list underpinning these objectives goes on and on but they are the top ones.
Needless to say, a lot hinges on how the current Councillors actually seek to objectively and comprehensively approach the next CEO appointment. As you rightly point out local government has the biggest impact on residential lifestyle so one would reasonably expect the determination of the next CEO will be given significant consideration by Councillors and be undertaken in the most objective, open and transparent manner possible.
I must admit anyone appointed CEO matching the above qualities will be undertaking the daunting task of changing a culture. Not an enviable task and one not undertaken overnight.
October 24, 2015 at 5:00 PM
MODERATORS: comment deleted
October 24, 2015 at 10:53 PM
Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air, wouldn’t that sum up GE’s machinations at the best of times, I think PB would make a very good school crossing supervisor as well
October 25, 2015 at 6:13 PM
Only an ignoramus person goes to VCAT. He is doing everything possible to impress residents and he trying to do damage control. Residents not dumb as he thinks.
October 26, 2015 at 6:19 PM
Several councillors at the last election stood for Council on a platform of “opposing inappropriate development”. When asked what each councillor’s personal definition of “inappropriate developement” was though, they colletively decided it was “any development that does not comply with the relevant planning law”. They then admitted that subject to State Government approval, Council would determine where and how to fit the new zones to the municipality, and further said that these new zones should “make it clearer what is considered appropriate”. It is fair to conclude then that EVERYTHING that has occurred since is considered by Council to be appropriate, being permitted under their Planning Scheme.
Councillors were also asked what changes they believed were necessary to be made to the Scheme to make clear what is and is not inappropriate. The only change they identified was to apply the new Residential Zones, but didn’t elaborate on how the mapping would or should be done. The mapping was actually done in secret, without even a Council resolution. Hence the purposes and decision criteria now bear little resemblance for properties in the former R1Z that were excluded from NRZ. Again, EVERYTHING that is happening now is considered appropriate by Council. That includes every defeat at VCAT, by their own definition.
October 26, 2015 at 7:21 PM
Most would be councillors will say what you want to hear, to a person they just want the money they get as a councillor. Once in, there no big deal if they do nothing as there is no compulsion, and lots of encouragement to sit back and rubberstamp the bureaucracy 3 grade efforts. This is the game