By Luke Voogt
Former mayor Darryn Lyons has slammed a ‘Citizens’ Jury’ recommendation to scrap Geelong’s mayoral election.
The result would make him Geelong’s last directly-elected mayor if Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins acts on the recommendation.
“This is completely and utterly rigged,” Mr Lyons said.
“It beggars belief – the people sang out wholeheartedly that they want the directly elected mayor.”
The jury of 100 residents, which consultants arranged on behalf of the government, recommended taking away residents’ mayoral vote despite surveys indicating that up to 78.5 per cent wanted direct elections.
The jury recommended handing the mayoral decision back to councillors, who lost control of the decision when the previous coalition state government gave residents the vote in 2012.
An enraged Mr Lyons described the Andrews Government as “incompetent megalomaniac morons” and urged residents to voice their outrage.
“I call on the people of Geelong to barrage Natalie Hutchins’ email and Twitter feed to let her know what they think of taking away the direct mayor.
“I’ve had heaps of text messages – I couldn’t even repeat what’s in them.”
Mr Lyons accused the Government of “putting the pillow over Geelong’s head”.
“They think the people of Geelong are stupid – we’re not stupid and we won’t forget.
“It’s criminal what they are doing.”
A Democracy in Geelong survey run in conjunction with the jury found 60 per cent support for retaining the direct mayoral election. The jury received 28 submissions, with 13 wanting the mayoral election scrapped, 10 wanting it retained and the rest blank or unrelated to the mayor vote.
Shadow local government minister David Davis called the jury process a farce.
“There’s no doubt Labor is desperate to avoid a return to local democracy with a directly elected mayor,” he told the Indy last week.
