By Luke Voogt
Geelong should adopt Melbourne’s model of electing a mayor and deputy with their own team, former Premier Jeff Kennett has told the Indy.
The system increased the likelihood of residents electing a team that could work together under the mayor, he said.
“I’d very much like to see a situation where the (Geelong) mayor and the deputy are popularly elected together.”
Geelong’s previous council elections system “left the popularly-elected mayor without a strong base from which he or she could implement their policies”, Mr Kennett said.
City of Melbourne elects its mayor and deputy on the same ticket and allows them to nominate a council team.
The elected councillors also represent the city as a whole rather than wards.
Mr Kennett said directly-elected Geelong mayor Keith Fagg, who quit after 10 months and “colourful and flamboyant” successor Darryn Lyons lacked civic experience and council support.
“(Lyons) had great ideas but no experience in managing a team. That lack of experience came to the fore as he tried to drive his programs through.”
Mr Kennett, who once labelled himself ‘Minister for Geelong’, said the city was an “unpolished diamond” in which council discord had distracted from tackling youth unemployment and infrastructure demands.
“Geelong has great potential but that potential hasn’t been reached.”
Geelong’s many committees also made it “hard for council to do its job”, he said.
Mr Kennett was among six of eight invited speakers who declined to address Geelong Citizens’ Jury as it developed a recommendation for the city’s next council structure.
Former Labor Lara MP Peter Loney recommended adopting a model similar to English councils, with an executive team of the mayor, a deputy and one other.
Under Mr Loney’s model, 12 councillors would represent a ward each and scrutinise the actions of the executive team.
