By Luke Voogt
Giving Geelong’s mayoral vote back to councillors was a choice between “the lesser of two evils”, according to a Citizens’ Jury member.
“We had to choose between two flawed systems,” said Lara grandmother Mary Budd after the 100-member jury narrowly recommended scrapping the public mayoral vote.
“That was the biggest problem we had.”
The 100-member jury has recommended scrapping Geelong’s public mayoral vote, with the State Government due to announce whether it will implement the verdict early next year.
The opposition had warned since the jury was announced that the Labor government would use it to take away the public vote, which the coalition initiated in 2012.
Ms Budd said government representatives allowed the jury only two options: keeping the existing direct-election system or returning the vote to councillors.
“There was a lot of support for a directly elected-mayoral system but we didn’t have a lot of options.”
Several jurors suggested new methods of publicly electing the mayor but the representatives ruled them out as “aspirational recommendations”, she said.
“There were always at least two people that belonged to Local Government Victoria who said what we could and couldn’t do.”
But fellow juror Sarah Gofton of Highton said the jury did have scope to introduce aspects of the Melbourne model, which allows mayoral candidates to stand on a ticket with a deputy for greater support on council.
“All who supported the directly-elected mayor said there should be a directly-elected deputy,” Ms Gofton said.
But the jury never had a chance to discuss the deputy because the recommendation for a councillor-chosen mayor made the deputy position redundant, she said,
Ms Gofton also preferred a directly elected mayor but the jury wanted “councillors who were happy to be councillors first, rather than just the mayor”.
Central Geelong’s Liam Rodgers also voted for a directly elected mayor but considered the final decision “well-constructed” despite axing the public vote.
The jury initially voted in favour of the public but had to reach an 80 per cent “super majority”, which required progression to a scaled voting system that produced the opposite outcome.
Mr Rodgers dismissed the claims of former mayor Darryn Lyons and shadow local government minister David Davis that the State Government “rigged” the outcome.
“There was the option for them to come and observe the whole process.
“If they’re calling it a sham it’s interesting to see that neither of them showed up or submitted written evidence.”
