A very strong rumour is making the rounds that Okotel has resigned from Glen Eira Council to pursue her hoped for parliamentary career. We are confident that readers will have a view as to her contribution to this municipality in the three plus years she served as a councillor.
On another issue, last night saw the unanimous vote on the Sounness moved motion regarding ‘noise pollution’ emanating from the Caulfield Racecourse and their ‘music events’. Interestingly, Sounness’ motion was in part for council to ‘liaise with Stonnington’. Subsequent events reveal in glorious technicolor the difference between Glen Eira City Council and Stonnington City Council. The latter has no issue with alerting community groups as to the upcoming events. In Glen Eira, there is silence. Thus residents have to find out for themselves, or from their neighbouring contacts.
Below is the email sent from the MRC’s ‘consultants’ to Glen Eira officers. We have also uploaded their flyer for this event. Questions galore need answering – what will council do to ensure this event is within EPA noise guidelines? Will officers be attending? Will council ensure that traffic wardens are available at 10pm so that attendees can leave the grounds in an orderly fashion? Will they be pursuing this issue with the Minister, the police, the Trustees, or as per normal, keep passing the buck onto everyone else?
From: Dartmoor Consulting Group [mailto:a.young@tpg.com.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 16 March 2016 11:07 AM
To: John Bordignon; shane.cashman@police.vic.gov.au;
SEMRCommunityResilienceCommanders@mfb.vic.gov.au; Keith Franklyn; Ron Torres
Subject: RE: PUBLIC EVENT NOTIFICATION FOR THE CAULFIELD RACECOURSE – NOVEL CONCERT – SATURDAY 19 MARCH 2016
To Whom It May Concern,
Please find attached relevant details pertaining to the above forthcoming public event to be conducted at the Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday 19th March 2016.
Should you have any queries or require any additional information in relation to the scheduled event prior to or during please don?t hesitate to contact me directly at your convenience.
Best Regards
Andrew Young
DIRECTOR
DARTMOOR CONSULTING GROUP PTY LTD
Public Event Compliance/Management Consultants
Project Facilitators
Private Building Surveyors
Postal Address: P.O.BOX 165 : GLEN IRIS VICTORIA : 3146 AUSTRALIA.
Mobile Number: 0412 118 337
Email Address:
Glen Eira Debates 
March 16, 2016 at 5:10 PM
The only loss arising from Okotel’s resignation will be if she gets election elsewhere. Her performance as a Councillor has been lack lustre as she prefers to go with the flow rather than represent her electorate.
March 16, 2016 at 5:45 PM
Announcement on Okotel resignation –
Cr Karina Okotel resigns
Published on 16 March 2016
Cr Karina Okotel has resigned her position as a Councillor at Glen Eira City Council.
Cr Okotel was elected in 2012 and represents the Rosstown Ward.
Cr Okotel delivered her letter of resignation to Council’s Chief Executive Officer Ms Rebecca McKenzie on Wednesday 16 March 2016.
Cr Okotel has advised that her last day will be Tuesday 5 April 2016.
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has advised that it intends to conduct the countback to determine Cr Okotel’s replacement at 9.30am on Wednesday 6 April 2016 in the Council Chambers, Glen Eira City Council, Corner Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield.
March 16, 2016 at 5:48 PM
Okotel has distinguished herself by becoming the official echo of either Esakoff, Hyams or Lipshutz in nine out of ten instances. Which then brings up the question of how well she will represent the citizens of Victoria if she can’t even represent her own tiny bunch of residents in Rosstown or all of Glen Eira. I’d say that in 3 and a half years she has achieved a big fat zero as they admittedly all have.
March 16, 2016 at 6:35 PM
Her role as a Councillor was never more than a means of furthering her career as a conservative politician. How dumb or disinterested are the Rosstown Ward voters for falling for it and continuing to re-elect Esakoff who was the Mayor of the incompetent and sacked Council.
You get what you vote for.
March 16, 2016 at 7:34 PM
It’d be really good news if Okotel’s resignation to effect at 5.00 p.m. on 15th April, 2016 rather than taking effect after that evenings Council Meeting. Her continual fumbling around when reading from the script the administration has prepared for her and her insistence on talking to every item on the agenda is not only embarrassing to watch, it’s also a complete waste everyone’s time.
March 16, 2016 at 7:58 PM
Rosstown is up for grabs in October. Pilling is a goner and greens can no longer be trusted. Esakoff and her mob will line up their own lib candidates and even Hyams may skedaddle from Tucker given what’s been happening there with over development and community anger. Rosstown is the key for major change.
March 16, 2016 at 8:37 PM
Don’t forget last elections Magee said he wouldn’t stand again in 2016. So with the demolition job the insufferable Hyams has done on Lobo, that means has two vacancies.
Could even be three new Councillors, since that Ward is likely to turf Hyams out for the Zones, VIrginia Estate and all the Bentleigh developments.
March 16, 2016 at 8:10 PM
Concur. That’s 2 out of 5 current Councillors that may be replaced. More importantly, there is a need to reduce the number of the ‘clique’ or ‘faction’ i.e. Libs and lawyers on the Council.
March 16, 2016 at 9:45 PM
Fair suck of the sauce bottle Macca
Pilling is not a Green any more, and hasn’t been one for many years.
What about some credit for the Greens, when Pilling underperformed and sucked up to the Libs to salvage a thread of self respect, the Greens gave him the boot.
Unlike Okotel of the Liberal party who pathetically underperforms and still gets promoted.
Which option would you prefer ?
March 16, 2016 at 10:22 PM
Difficult choice.
On the one hand, the Greens supported Pilling in 2008 and 2012 so it took them quite a while to see the light even though he deserved being chucked out well before they sponsored his second campaign.
On the other hand, the Libs have chosen Okotel for higher office despite her decidedly sub-standard performance on the first rung of the political ladder.
Then again Pilling at least showed a faint hint of promise at the start, whereas Okotel is still standing at the bus stop waiting for the train.
Yep a difficult choice.
March 16, 2016 at 10:51 PM
Greens may have given Pilling the boot as you say but it took them forever. Sounness hasn’t come up with much either. The Greens lack policy on just about everything. Time they got their act together or they will sink into oblivion at the next election.
March 16, 2016 at 11:09 PM
I’m not so sure the Greens gave Pilling the boot. He had plans for furthering his career but was given unwinnable seats to contest so returned to his true love the reactionaries.
A man of any decency would have resigned from Council the moment he resigned from the Greens as he’s only there by virtue of their backing which was considerable in terms of money and manpower. The hollow man.
March 17, 2016 at 8:16 AM
You fail to understand how local government works. You write about how you think it should work. Each councillor is elected individually not as a party. The Council as a whole decides on the policies. Most policies are derived by the staff and handed to councillors to absorb. Local Government is an instrument of the State. The LGA enshrines this.
March 17, 2016 at 9:08 AM
thank you for that opinion, no matter how hamstrung a councillor maybe by the State apparatus, there is still wriggle room, and a forum to promote ones views, which could be similar to a party position