Katos waters down dam call after meeting

Andrew Mathieson
Geelong’s new councillor has softened his call for another dam after privately meeting a Geelong state MP who slammed him over the issue.
Cr Andrew Katos met Member for South Barwon Michael Crutchfield on Wednesday following an exchange of verbal blows in the past fortnight.
The pair traded insults in the Independent after Cr Katos won his Deakin ward by-election on a platform attacking State Government’s $120 million Melbourne-Geelong pipeline.
Mr Katos, a Liberal party member, wanted the Government to investigate building a new dam in the Otways.
In response, Mr Crutchfield said the dam issue was “done and dusted” after Labor won its third successive election in 2006.
Cr Katos watered down his dam call after discussing the issue with Mr Crutchfield this week.
“It’s not that we resolved anything – I don’t think there was a lot to resolve, to be honest,” Cr Katos said.
“One person has one point of view and the other has another point of view.
“It is something I have to go back and consider. At the moment, they’re views I put forward in an election campaign as a candidate for council.”
Cr Katos said he had already “touched on the issue” with some of Geelong’s other 11 councillors.
He now planned to lobby them about the need for more dams.
“To make any substance from any of this I need to try to get the council to back me up, so it’s back in my court,” Cr Katos said.
He called the meeting with Mr Crutchfield “very positive”.
In an email to the Independent, Mr Crutchfield said he provided “information to assist” the new councillor.
“We discussed a number of issues,” Mr Crutchfield said.
“As the meeting was a private meeting, I will not be discussing the content of it with the local media.”