If anyone had any doubts about council’s internal political divide, the election of mayor and deputy mayor fully illustrates how the Labor versus Lib chasm is well and truly operational in Glen Eira.
Magee has been elected by a vote of 5 to 4 as Mayor. Labor together with the support of the Greens voted for Magee, whilst the Libs with the support of the nominal ‘independents’ voted for Cade. The votes in favour of Magee were: Magee, Athanasopolous, Zhang, Zyngier and Pilling. The four voting for Cade were: Parasol, Szmood, Esakoff, Cade.
Sadly, what this means is that we have a Labor Mayor and Deputy Mayor in charge for the next year. Whether or not this means that Glen Eira will continue to back to the hilt the incumbent Labor State government remains to be seen. Sadly, taking state politics out of local government seems a forlorn hope. As we’ve stated numerous times before, local government and its councillors, owes it top priority to its residents and not to some political agenda dictated by political parties.
Glen Eira Debates 
November 3, 2021 at 8:43 PM
Why is this sad? We always will work for the benefit of our community. In the last 12 months Council has made critical comments to State government. I would expect this to continue as required.
November 3, 2021 at 8:51 PM
Apart from the current response to the Government’s Land Use Frameworks proposals, and the recent collaboration with other councils, we are not aware of any public and formal criticisms of Government actions. Council has repeatedly used State Government actions or changes to legislation as a convenient scapegoat. If this is incorrect, then please inform us as to the official and formal criticisms that this council has made in the past 12 months.
November 4, 2021 at 9:08 AM
Your telling me, Cade is Labor, I would never have come to that conclusion by the way she has only ever voted with the conservative nit-wits.
A big thank you to David Zyngier for keeping Cade out of being Mayor. She would have taken us back to the Hyams – Lipshitz era of bureaucrat worshipping.
November 4, 2021 at 12:40 PM
From a dominated Lib council we’re now a dominated Lab/Green council. On paper this looks like a change. It isn’t. Both sides are tied to their respective masters and not the community. This aside, to win the vote by one isn’t a good sign for a united group with the same vision for its residents. Pilling of course remains the compliant turncoat. Lib, Lab, it doesn’t matter to him. Sucking up to Hyams, Lipshutz and Esakoff has now turned into sucking up to Athanasopolous, Magee, Zhang.
November 4, 2021 at 4:57 PM
Jeff I am sorry that you feel councillors are “tied to their respective masters” – as a first-term Greens Councillor I can assure you and all residents that every councillor votes according to their understanding of the issues and the evidence before them. If you track the voting you will see that I have voted with the more “conservative” councillors on some issues and with the more “progressive” councillors on others. Of course, I was elected to support particular platform issues like increased resident participation, transparency and openness of decision making, more open space and sustainable development, commitment to the Climate Emergency declaration, protecting wherever possible our heritage.
November 4, 2021 at 10:23 PM
Whatever the shortcomings maybe, the air smells so much cleaner now. The 3 Camden Ward councillors have open the windows and let a lot of fresh air into the Town Hall. There has been one hell of an improvement in debate and quality of that debate. The officers are not getting everything they want delivered on Hyam’s silver platter service.
Zhang is proving she is no bodies fool. Pilling is looking sad and sorry and is slowly (MODERATORS: rest of sentence deleted). The fresh air is helping him, I’m sure he would love another shot at being Mayor, but will it happen?
November 9, 2021 at 12:40 PM
Didn’t Magee vote Liberal then had a change of heart and voted labor?
Its hard to follow such die hard Councillors in their quest for power. Just pick up the garbage, fix the pot holes and keep the parks green which is what councilors should be doing. Ego is a dirty word.