Investigation launched into bullying accusations at Glen Eira Council
May 27, 2016 6:11pm
A CULTURE of bullying and intimidation among Glen Eira councillors is under investigation by eminent barrister Frances O’Brien QC, an insider alleges.
Her appointment as an independent arbiter follows a tumultuous four-year term at Glen Eira, which came to a head at a citizenship ceremony in March.
The sordid history of infighting among councillors saw the council sacked in 2005.
The Herald Sun understands all councillors have met with Ms O’Brien at the Glen Eira town hall as she seeks to unravel the increasingly “toxic” culture.
A number of councillors have confirmed they are to be interviewed by Ms O’Brien.
Some of the incidents which may come under investigation include:— Cr Jamie Hyams calling Cr Oscar Lobo a “f**kwit” at a ceremony attended by 200 people at the Glen Eira town hall.
— Cr Oscar Lobo’s allegedly anti-Semitic slur at a December council meeting.
— A 2010 email councillor Michael Lipshutz sent to Cr Lobo asking him if he had worked for a bank linked to terrorists.
Cr Hyams has confirmed he called Cr Lobo a “f**kwit” at the ceremony.
He refused to go into details about the incident, but said the insult was levelled at Cr Lobo after he was “severely provoked”.
It is believed Cr Lobo and Cr Hyams were almost involved in a physical altercation at the citizenship ceremony when the argument spilt into the town hall foyer.
Cr Hyams apologised to his colleagues for the outburst in a late-night email following the incident.
Councillors unanimously voted to censure Cr Lobo earlier this year for the allegedly anti-semitic slur.
“Ever since Cr Lobo made his disgustingly racist comments in the council meeting of December 15 he has treated myself and other councillors with complete contempt,” Cr Hyams said.
Cr Lobo has claimed to be the subject of bullying and racism for seven years.
“The council is trying to find out what these internal issues are and it has been given to an independent person to judge the gravity of the situation,” Cr Lobo said.
Cr Lobo denied he provoked Cr Hyams at the citizenship ceremony.
“He got up and said you’re a f**kwit and that’s when I lost my cool after that because he has done all these insults in the past and no one knows about it.”
“He wanted to provoke me to hit him because that’s an easy way to get rid of me.”
Cr Lobo called for Cr Hyams to resign in light of his behaviour.
The incident follows a failed bid by councillors to reprimand Cr Lobo in 2013 at a conduct panel, which cost ratepayers $27,000.
Ms O’Brien will prepare a report following her meetings with councillors, which may be referred to the ombudsman or Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
Glen Eira mayor Neil Pilling confirmed Ms O’Brien had been “engaged” to provide advice on councillor conduct.
“As the confidential matter is currently in progress and subject to legal privilege, we are unable to make further comment at this time,” he said.
Ms O’Brien would not comment on the investigation when contacted by the Herald Sun.
chad.vanestrop@news.com.au
Glen Eira Debates 
May 27, 2016 at 9:03 PM
The sooner this whole council is sacked the better off ratepayers will be. Hyams is a disgrace and like Lobo says he should be chucked out on his ear.
May 27, 2016 at 9:14 PM
Diisgraceful behaviour! We need new Councillors who will take their job seriously, behave in a professional manner and put their time and effort into being appropriately infomed of relevant issues in Glen Eira.
May 27, 2016 at 9:55 PM
Lobo is a fool but Hyams is a nasty piece of work closely followed by Lipshutz. They fling insults at residents and each other like confetti. Can imagine what happens in assemblies behind closed doors. Time they all got their come uppance.
May 27, 2016 at 10:30 PM
2005 Hyams and Esakoff. 2016 Hyams and Esakoff. Get it
May 27, 2016 at 10:40 PM
I sincerely hope that this investigation does not result in a whitewash like all the previous ones have done. Bullying is only the tip of the iceberg I would think. Lying and wasting public money if not straight out corruption has to be investigated and brought into the spotlight. Glen Eira has been a mess since it was created. Senior officers and councillors have to go.
May 28, 2016 at 12:17 AM
This has been on the cards for a long long time.
Hyams seems to strut around the public forums like a prize little bantam rooster, and Lobo has become everyone’s victim.
It’s ironic although not contrary to what is expected, how the self professed anti-bully-boys like Hyams & Lipshutz and Pilling, become the bully-boys themselves.
Magee is guilty of bullying Lobo as well, Pilling has become Hyam and Lipshutz’s de facto stand-over man at chamber meetings. He’s has been increasing enjoying this new found bullying role, his delight is evident.
The pack mentality off its leash, one shameful council meeting was largely devoted to bullying Lobo’s empty chair, Lobo was absent so they poured score and vile onto his chair for more than a hour.
Lipshutz worked himself into a lather and ended up saying and I quote here, “my father killed Nazi’s”
Try and work that phase into a average council meeting.
Lipshutz thought it was appropriate, no interjection from other councillor.
Pilling in his role as Chair was silent.
In that one staged event, the victim had the brains to stay away, so the empty chair sufficed. It was interesting to note that MP David Southwick turned up to watch the show.
How does anyone reconcile these events.
What more could be possibly said about bullying, find a victim usually someone that doesn’t fit the bill, and push and push him/her to the edge of reaction and then pounce once they do.
I would like to call all this poetic justice, but it doesn’t rhyme or reason
So call it for what it is
May 28, 2016 at 10:41 AM
Jeeeezus, was Lipshutz’s “my father killed Nazi’s” a threat against Lobo or what?
it sounds like a veiled threat, step out of line, and I will be my father’s son
And Pilling thought this was OK and didn’t call a halt to the proceedings
May 28, 2016 at 7:19 AM
It’s Penhalluriack all over again. It was disgraceful and unfounded in 2012 and its even more so now.
Yep, Lipshutz and Hyams are both vindictive bullies who for some unknown reason think they can get away with anything. A belief that the other Councillors continually reinforce by doing nothing because they’d rather sacrifice Lobo than risk putting a target on their own backs.
Hyams’s dummy spit at the Citizenship Ceremony is utterly inexcusable (there should never have been a need to apologise) as was the unfounded antisemitic tirade unleashed by Hyams and Lipshutz at a Council Meeting last year.
May 28, 2016 at 10:23 AM
Don’t forget Whiteside’s resignation because she couldn’t stomach Hyams and Lipshutz and their little deals over open space in an Inkerman road property.
May 28, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Wonder if Pilling
. will show O’Brien the despicable letters he wrote to the folks protesting the mass chainsawing of trees in the eastern end of Caulfield Park. On the offensive index they rank only marginally below Hyams’s Citzenship Ceremony performance
. will he mention Lipshutz’s outburst and demand for an apology from the protesters because he considered their use of word (which the dictionary defines as acceptable) antisemitic.
May 28, 2016 at 9:38 AM
Wonder what the scope of the investigation is. Bullying has been going on at GECC for many years. Frank Penhalluriack was treated pretty badly too—excluded from his workplace, pursued relentlessly about a rooming house with the charges eventually dropped, defamed by Council and former Ombudsman over mulch heap, creation of special committee with 8 members [all councillors minus Frank].
Then there’s the treatment meted out to residents: “whining bitch”, allegations of beating one’s wife, insulting all residents who ask questions because in councillors’ opinions the questions shouldn’t have been asked. Or the repeated failures to comply with Meeting procedure: points of order used to silence people [particularly Cr Lobo] without stating reasons or even citing a relevant ground. And the infamous and blatantly defamatory motion to advertise widely that the other 8 councillors all think Cr Lobo is a racist when he opposed Council’s support for Jewish members of a security group carrying guns in our public parks.
Nor have I forgotten Cr Pilling’s particularly nasty response to the community when they criticized Council for the way the new residential zones were introduced. I’m not impressed with him calling us all cowards, and note he has made no attempt despite two shots at being Mayor to end the bitterness and outdated practices of our local government. His adversarial approach just doesn’t work.
If Ms O’Brien has been engaged by the Mayor then it is unlikely most of these will be within her brief.
May 28, 2016 at 10:04 AM
Reprobate pinpoints the important point – what is O’Brien’s brief? We’ve had lawyers investigating allegations of bullying before (Penhalluriack) and concluding what Newton and his allies wanted her to conclude. Lobo needs to get his act together and go straight to the councillor conduct panel with all his evidence. Take it out of council’s hands completely.
May 28, 2016 at 10:03 AM
Don’t forget Hyams’s Bitchgate episode.
In the foyer of the Community Consultation meeting, he approached and verbally abused a resident without any rhyme or reason, other than he felt like it.
A complaint was lodged, so Council marshalled it’s forces and dumped big time of the victim until they withdrew their formal complaint.
O’Brien’s review should be opened up to include submissions from residents.
May 28, 2016 at 10:47 AM
I am so sick of this council. Hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted on lawyers, municipal and ombudsman’s investigations that don’t solve a thing and now this. None of them are fit to be councillors and none of them care one iota what they do to residents. The culture of Glen Eira has been toxic for years and I put that down to the administration which has taught some councillors how to go about railroading and serving certain interests. The sooner they are all dismissed the better off for everyone. I kind of feel sorry for Ms Mckenzie because she has ended up in a real sh*t hole and is probably wondering what has hit her. All of this will test her leadership qualities. I do hope that she makes some positive changes that put community first. If not then she is no better than what has gone before.
May 28, 2016 at 11:32 AM
yeh, like get rid of Burke the great divider
May 28, 2016 at 11:02 AM
Since ratepayers are funding this investigation, then ratepayers should be advised of the investigation’s terms of reference and be given the opportunity to make submissions.
That once again Councillors are prepared to waste significant ratepayers funds (the 2012 tally was over $100K) on an investigation aimed at discrediting one Councillor, while cloaking all others in glory, just prior to the elections reveals just what a sham Council it is.
May 28, 2016 at 11:29 AM
I feel somewhat sorry for Lobo. He is being ganged up on quite clearly. Hyams is not great at the best of times, and Lipshutz is deplorable. He is the true rascist.
May 28, 2016 at 11:40 AM
Racist possibly not. more likely a xenophob
May 28, 2016 at 11:54 AM
I bet the town hall mafia is regretting the whole guns in parks dumb idea, they well and truly shot themselves in the rear end, and are now finding out that band aids don’t stick to bullet wounds, and you need a mirror to put one on
May 28, 2016 at 12:49 PM
Wolf, Whelan, Walsh and Whitside. A rotten history. Got worse with Hyams, Lipshutz and Esakoff. Name one bloody thing they have achieved for Glen Eira. Useless right wing we know best arrogant bastards.
May 28, 2016 at 12:54 PM
Lawyers, guns and killing Nazis, unreal, I’m switching off the Tele and heading down to the next council meeting, I’m a highly trained paramedic so I might be able to help with the wounded, I bring some really really big band aids
May 28, 2016 at 3:30 PM
O’Brien should be informed of Lipschutz’s, “my father killed Nazi’s” statement, delivered at a council meeting of all places. How on earth could this type of speak be council business? If true, it seems very brazen behaviour, and I find it difficult to interoperate it in any fashion other than being either seriously intimidating language or an actual veiled threat. Either way it shows how free and easy he had become with his bullying of Lobo.
I wonder if the tape of this event could be handed over to O’Brien, or have they been conveniently wiped. The tape would put this particular accusations beyond doubt or kill if off as not being true
May 28, 2016 at 4:07 PM
Lipshoot and Hymiss should be sacked to never come again. Residents other than their own and for the sake of their liberal party have screwed them lock stock and barrel. The residents are cursing them.
May 28, 2016 at 6:02 PM
If Hyams had any integrity, instead of penning a late night apology after the Citizenship Ceremony, he should have penned a resignation.
And, since he didn’t resign, why hasn’t Council hauled him up before a Code of Conduct Panel.
May 28, 2016 at 7:09 PM
Because Pilling has joined the Liberal Party, and is protecting his best mate
May 28, 2016 at 10:11 PM
Pilling does not know whether he is coming or going and libs have studied him. The liberals know how to play him and he either does not know or lacks the grey material and deduction logic required.
May 28, 2016 at 7:47 PM
Hyams and integrity? You must be joking.
True ambassador of the residents is Cr Lobo who stood by his 2012 election slogan “Your friend on Council” has made him earn respect of many residents in Glen Eira. His stand on guns in public’s Caulfield park was one of his many achievements. This councillor was criticised by the two councillors for saying “drawing attention to themselves” and the Mainstream Australians were shocked to hear about the idiotic suggestion to have guns with non police personnel without the written permission of Victorian police.
Imagine the big Estate bought in Melton will follow the footsteps of Lipshutz, Hyams, Esakoff, Okotell and Pilling who sided with the group and ask for permission to have guns for their festivals then this would be a situation like that of ME Anyone who need guns should take the first flight to ME or US and please do not make Victoria a war zone.
May 28, 2016 at 10:19 PM
I don’t think they want the USA model of guns on the loose it to random.
They want the Israeli model of armed citizens, you might say a militia scenario carrying weapons and using force, and if needed lethal force to protect their community.
Any collateral damage can be sorted later, likely meaning using PR and lawyers to blame the inevitable delay time as police inaction.
This is all honey for the extreme end of the Liberal Party that would love to see private security running the show in a deregulated market, as they believe there is nothing that cannot be privatised.
Its Lawyers Guns, and Money view of the world, alive and well in Good Old Glen Eira.
May 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM
Hyams confirmed that he called Lobo a fu***wit only because he couldn’t lie himself out of this one when everyone within 20m of the stage would have heard him.
May 29, 2016 at 10:35 AM
The Israeli Defence Force Training Centre was behind a Leader Story a few weeks ago. They were basically calling for pepper spray to be legalised for civilian use. There seems to be a push from the more hard line Jewish org’s to want to take public protection into their hands.
I guess if they think they channel millions of dollars into their own hands through Federal grants to achieve this, they will go for it.
Hence Hyams and Lipshutz never missing a opportunity to fear monger in their public realm. Spread fear, talk tuff and your the hero, the small man syndrome
May 29, 2016 at 11:47 AM
any chance your could offer support this. I know everyone is really negative to politicians however this is the last chance for us to get any more open space in Glen Eira. So you can either lend your support now or complain about night racing when the MRC gets their way
https://geresidents.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/camp-magee-open-up-the-racecourse/
May 29, 2016 at 7:05 PM
Maybe Jim could come onto this blog and explain why he is so obsessive about why we should hand over our children to the corporate crime machine that has totally captured sport, with the sole goal of grooming children towards alcohol and gambling consumption.
And how about getting your car out of the park, that’s another thing you shouldn’t be encouraging children to do, there is a paved car parking area just few metres away, so why not set the example and use.
May 29, 2016 at 9:05 PM
Strong sentiments – instead of venting from the warmth and dryness of your home perhaps you should take the opportunity of showing the same conviction that Magee has shown by setting up a camp site in the same location.
May 29, 2016 at 11:19 PM
No not strong sentiments at all, just an outsider’s view of what corporate sport is offering our youth. Warmth and dryness I do not crave, but conviction driven by personal ego is rarely rational or frankly becoming or even welcome.
JM should take time out and balance his sporting convictions with what people want and not what Jim thinks they need.
His eye rolling intolerance of anything outside of his narrow sporting centric world is completely warped. We need councillor’s that understand human values and the environmental necessities that children need to become healthy individuals. Not another generation of beer swilling gamblers and ball handlers clogging our courts and TV screens.
May 30, 2016 at 10:21 AM
So you going to stand for election in October or would you just rather sit and sling accusations because it’s easier.
May 30, 2016 at 11:23 AM
I’ve have a criminal record that stops me from standing
How about getting Jim to speak here personally on the condition he doesn’t make any sporting or children related comments. The outcome would be a golden silence.
The man is a walking talking 1960’s caricature
May 30, 2016 at 12:38 PM
I see you’re still sitting and slinging.
May 30, 2016 at 2:46 PM
This blogger is beginning to sound like Jim Magee, no substance
May 30, 2016 at 1:29 PM
mr negative. A consequence of not providing things for kids to do will lead to more people with criminal records. Even if the residents were to get sport grounds at the racecourse public space per head of population will still be lower. I think you are in the school of thought that the MRC should continue to run the land exclusively with rent at their preferred $100 instead of the current 90,000
May 30, 2016 at 2:44 PM
Goodbye Anon. There’s just no point in continuing when all you want to do is vent and blame others.
May 30, 2016 at 3:40 PM
Leave the kids out of it, you beginning to sound like catholic priest
May 30, 2016 at 3:46 PM
This post is clearly from Jim Magee as the number of typos and spelling mistakes matches the tweets on his twitter feed..
He should be supporting literacy instead of sport.
May 30, 2016 at 8:57 PM
How was he a Mayor if he cannot spell or write? Did he not go to college?
May 30, 2016 at 4:17 PM
I have a mixed reaction to Camp Magee. Politics has degenerated into a irredeemable mess if this sort of action is required for sound, sensible, strategic and sustainable decision-making to be made. [I’m also curious–since this is Crown land, not part of the racecourse reserve, and Council rejected invitation to be Committee of Management for it–is camping there really permitted?].
The lack of open space for active and passive recreation is a deliberate consequence of planning policies—it is not part of the decision criteria for Planning Permits; acquisition and development of new open space hasn’t kept pace with population growth; and we now have 20000 more people than MSS projects.
The situation is unsustainable and major reform of the planning system is required. It should be a prerequisite for large-scale multi-unit development that open space is available within safe convenient walking distance, and not 15+ years later. The fact that it would be very expensive is exactly what is broken with the system. It isn’t economic and current development doesn’t fund new open space at the rate new development generates demand.
May 30, 2016 at 4:49 PM
These are really good ideas, I never heard Jim say anything remotely like this
May 30, 2016 at 6:35 PM
Perhaps there could have been far more money available for the purchase of open space if this council had been fair dinkum from the start. Instead they allowed a tiny levy to exist for years and years before it finally dawned on them that people had had a gut full and were expecting developers to pay more for the ruin they were causing. Everything was and still is geared to giving developers an armchair ride.
May 31, 2016 at 8:40 AM
Anyone seen today’s Age –
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/councillor-camps-out-at-caulfield-racecourse-to-campaign-on-public-space-20160530-gp773f.html
May 30, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Magee is an opportunities. He will reach no where with nothing but mushrooms in his head. Ventura is looking out for people who can drive and hear your yarns.
May 31, 2016 at 10:55 AM
Issues surrounding Cr Lobo and his treatment by other councillors have been canvassed before, including Cr Lipshutz breaching Councillors’ Code of Conduct. What did the Mayor do about this behaviour?
https://gleneira.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/a-residents-point-of-view-3/
https://gleneira.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/round-2-lobo-v-hyams/
May 31, 2016 at 10:57 PM
Sack them. Put in an Administrator. And legislate that no sacked Councillor can stand for office again.