City’s mayor ‘risk’

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A DIRECTLY elected mayor will be a “retrograde step” for Geelong, a Melbourne small business group has warned.
Coalition of Residents and Business Associations convenor Dr Jackie Watts said Geelong should demand a referendum.
“Beware Geelong – Spring Street may have a different agenda in shaping your council,” Dr Watts said.
“Why would you institute a system which is itself under review in Melbourne? It’s just bad policy.
“It’s the big-end of town that wants this to gain influence but we represent the small side of business, the local trader.
“There’s a snow job happening on the city. The system degrades the mayoral office because popularity does not equate with good government.
“It reduces the talent pool and you get a dumbing-down of council.”
State Government has released a summary of 65 written submissions to a consultation process on introduction of a directly elected mayor for Geelong. The submissions showed “overall support”, the summary said.
Forty-six submissions supported a directly elected mayor or mayoral team. Twenty-nine expressed “explicit support”, 11 opposed a direct mayor election, seven requested “further processes” and 18 failed to express a clear opinion.
“Overall, submitters indicated fairly strong support for the direct election of the mayor but much less support for the direct election of a deputy mayor,” the summary said.
Committee for Geelong’s submission called for a review of council’s ward structure, favouring an undivided council with representation from sectors such as tourism, retail, agriculture and “the aged”.
Other submissions suggested a return to district councillors with wards similar to arrangements for councils and shires before municipal amalgamations in the 1990s.
Municipal Association of Victoria and Victoria Local Government Association both said too many issues around the election process remained unresolved.
Ocean Grove Community Association said direct election of the mayor would potentially gridlock council while adding significant costs.