Stop war on mayor, urges opposition leader Guy

By NOEL MURPHY

GEELONG councillors should stop politicking and back mayor Darryn Lyons in promoting the city, according to state opposition leader Matthew Guy.
“They need to stop fighting with the mayor,” the Liberal MP told the Independent.
“The mayor is trying and they actually need to stop fighting with him and playing politics. He’s an absolutely great asset for raising Geelong’s profile.
“I was planning minister and I worked well with some councils that were Labor, that were green and independent. They don’t always have your points of view on everything but you’ve got to work with them.
“If they’re not interested in working with him then they’re putting Geelong at a disadvantage.”
Cr Lyons, a Liberal party member, has repeatedly clashed with Labor-aligned councillors including Andy Richards. Local Labor MPs have also taken shots at the mayor, including Member for Geelong Christine Couzens who used parliamentary privilege to label him a “one-trick pony”.