By NOEL MURPHY
KEITH Fagg was bullied from office as Geelong’s first directly-elected mayor, according to power-broker Frank Costa.
“When Fagg’s was sold to Mitre 10 it gave him the opportunity to stand for mayor and the opportunity to do something for the Geelong community,” Mr Costa told the Independent.
“He showed the depth of his commitment to the community when he offered half his mayoral income to charity. You couldn’t ask for a better commitment.
“Unfortunately, he was bullied to the point of a breakdown. It was very sad.
“You didn’t want to see that and there are lessons to learn.”
Mr Costa did not identify the source of bullying.
In a broad-ranging interview with the Independent, the former Cats chief and Committee for Geelong chair also called for changes to the direct-vote mayoral system to strengthen the mayor’s office.
Mr Costa suggested a directly-voted deputy and the right for the mayor to appoint their own personal assistant.
He also bought into the council’s ward funding wrangle, saying the $7.2 million discretionary funding system had “grown like Topsy” and needed to be more transparent and better known among the public to avoid possible misuse by councillors.
Mr Costa bemoaned Mr Fagg’s fate but rejected recent calls for Geelong’s council to be sacked.
He also said recent suggestions that council should withdraw its annual funding of Committee for Geelong “smack of bullying’’.
Mr Costa welcomed the field of mayoral candidates shaping up for Geelong’s senior local government post, describing them as “all good people”.
In last week’s Independent Mr Costa backed former mayor Ken Jarvis for next month’s election.
Mr Fagg is overseas on an extended holiday. He has declined to discuss mayoralty issues until his return.
Mr Fagg quit 10 months into his four-year term as Geelong’s first directly elected mayor. Ratepayers will spend $500,000 on the by-election to replace him.
