Why are you leaving with the job
unfinished?
I have carefully considered
this question and obviously it is a matter of personal regret that I have not
been able to complete what I started but as I have said it is simply not
possible for me to devote the time and energy required.
We need you to stay – what can we do to
persuade you to change your mind?
Thank you for your faith in me
but my decision has not been taken lightly and is irrevocable
Did you make a mistake in taking up the
role of President without previous experience?
Undoubtedly there will be
those who make this judgement.
Why couldn’t you bring about the changes
you promised?
It is incumbent upon me at
this point to leave the position without rancour or blame. It is my sincere
hope that someone with more time, energy and wisdom will succeed in bringing
about change and that person will have my full support.
Can you give us examples of when you
were compelled to say things you did not agree with?
It is the nature of the role
as President that from time to time this may happen. Normally this would not be
an issue as the President is representing more than just his or her own view
however these past months have been unusually difficult and so the
circumstances have not been normal. I found the situation very difficult and at
times felt compromised. In these circumstances it is another reason why I
should resign. However I do not feel it is would be helpful to go into details
at this point in time. 
I'm gutted that Matthew Reid has resigned , the she-devil Jennifer Matthews and her FB David Morris have shafted Matthew at every opportunity, while the slimy little creep Jolly has been in cahoots with ACEO Simpson and the wanker James Best.
ReplyDeleteWe're right back to square one, the administration controlling Council and the Department controlling the administration. I'm amazed that the mentors, especially Karen Chapell, who,I thought was a real positive influence and support for Matthew as a peer, has allowed Jennifer Mathews, David Morris, Jenni Law and the slime Brad Jolly to publically assassinate and annihilate the best Shire President York has had in a long while.
Matthew Reid was the best chance we had, Brad Jolly, James Best and Graeme Simpson had one agenda in January, subversion. Deep down, Minister Simpson probably is a decent bloke, but at the same time he's pretty ordinary believing lying bastards like Morris and Jolly. I imagine if he's got an ounce of decency in him, he'll be feeling pretty guilty right now.
The contemptible unintelligent moron ACEO Simpson, has made Matthew Reid look like an idiot, which is ironic really as Simpson is lacking big time in the cerebral department. For instance, he has deliberately avoided responding to questions at public question time since Best was installed in January.
In his most recent endeavor, ACEO Simpson moved the goal posts on public question time and what questions are allowed and not allowed, this put Matthew Reid in a very difficult situation, with the blob Law looking over his shoulder making snide remarks.
Where to from here? New elected members being manipulated by public servants, history repeating itself.
It is unfortunate that Matthew Reid does not recognize the great strides he made towards achieving his ambitions as Shire President, Pitch. Many of us who are standing for Council have not only observed the actions of the Council and the Admin, involving ourselves at council meetings by asking probing questions, but have been also actively exploring how we can be effective and make a difference. We had hoped to contribute to open, accountable, transparent governance alongside Matthew, but we will not be deterred by his choosing a different role for the time being.
DeleteI don’t agree that the ACEO made Matthew look less than he is: rather the opposite. Simpson’s days are numbered, no matter what he does or doesn’t do. My impression of him yesterday was a man whose demeanour reflects his failure to conduct himself honestly and appropriately, therefore he is scrambling to keep the truth hidden. However, that will happen less and less, particularly once the auditor’s report becomes available to the public.
Your vote, along with that of the other residents, will help to determine the strength of the new Council and how quickly it can achieve the goals Matthew outlined for us: We realize we have our work cut out for us yet we also are determined to uphold high values. If the community pulls together for the good of the town, anything is possible to achieve.
I agree Jane, Matthew made a huge difference, it's not apparent now but it marks an end from the decades of feudal rule. Many of the candidates are 'blow-ins', a term often used in a derogatory way by the old and not so bold.
DeleteYou have my vote Jane, together with Heather Saint and Denese Smythe, now it gets trickier , I will more than likely give Dr Plumridge a tick because I believe an academic brain on Council won't hurt, probably be the first time in York's history although pomposity may be an issue. Now it gets really tuff, who wouldn't I vote for? Pam Heaton, Mr Forster, Pat Flynn, The reasons; to my knowledge not one of these individuals has ever attended a Council meeting and would have no idea the way Council has operated over the past decade, so would have no idea on NOT what to do, the obvious danger being ,they will be far too reliant on the administration.
They may have read the local papers, spoke to a couple of people and formed an opinion based on insufficient and misinformation but this falls well short of the depth of knowledge required to restore the town to what it deserves. Trish Walters number five then.
Anonymous22 September 2015 at 19:57- I agree with you, my vote is going to Heather Saint, Jane Ferro , Denese Smythe, Dr. Plumridge and Tricia Walters.
DeleteThese candidates have all attended meetings regularly for years now and every single one of them will, I believe, do their own research and not simply take the word of the Administration.
Julian Krieg made a spectacular presentation at yesterday's meeting.
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, the serious fraud squad are prepared to at least have a look at the documents which suggest that Ray Hooper may have been a little remiss with his credit card and rent subsidies etc.
Yes, and while the Fraud Squad are at it, they might consider having a squiz at how a former CEO managed the sale of the Old Convent, and what persuaded a recent commissioner to arrange for the Shire to buy back the Old Convent School after telling us we were broke and it was all our fault for asking too many questions.
DeleteMost attending last nights Council meeting were left gutted, saddened and shocked when our Shire President Matthew Reid tendered his resignation - he is here till the Election.
ReplyDeleteAs the meeting progressed, it became clear Matthew has been thwarted at every turn by certain senior Staff within the DLG and our Administration, in his attempts to provide York with an open and accountble Administration.
Matthew has been let down badly by many many people who should have been there to back him up. What the hell are the Mentors doing? It is time for Minister Simpson to send them packing.
It appears the Shire Administration is in some sort of ‘mutiny mode’ with the A/CEO either not capable of understanding the instructions he has been given by our Council, or it is straight out disobedience.
During proceedings, as things came to light, several Residents called for the A/CEO to resign, however he continued to sit there with a supercilious grin on his face. Hard to tell if he was even aware of what was actually happening.
Public question time threw another revelation into the mix, this time from Mr. Julian Krieg who advised Councillors he has been corresponding with the Police - Fraud squad section - regarding the allegations of corruption within the Shire of York Administration. Mr. Krieg told Council the Fraud Squad have advised they would prefer the Shire of York Administration to provide the credit card evidence so they can check through it.
I suspect they are trying the soft option first, and if that fails I guess the Fraud Squad could turn up and confiscate the evidence themselves. Would be nice if the Administration complied with the Fraud Squad request.
I wonder if the A/CEO understands he has been instructed by Council to tell the Shire’s Auditors to hand over all relevant documents to the Fraud Squad, or will he simply continue his civil disobedience?
A/CEO Simpson told several residents he had ‘spoken’ with Northam Police and (according to A/CEO Simpson) the Police were not at all interested in investigating the corruption/credit card allegations. You have to wonder how hard the A/CEO tried IF he actually tried at all?
Seems ironical a resident of York has managed to spark what appears to be cosiderable interest by the Fraud Squad on the matter, simply by putting pen to paper.
Congratulations and thank you Mr. Krieg, you gave a very professional presentation.
It really is a bloody shame Matthew feels this way, I honestly think with the new line up and Matthew at the helm the Council would have forged ahead. I pray Matthew makes an exit statement and spells it out so its crystal clear what the real problem is. I sincerely hope the new Council picks up where Matthew left off and not allow it to slip backwards.
DeleteAt least the Fraud Squad won't have to apply through FOI to get the information they want from the Shire of York!
DeleteIt is a travesty Matthew could not hold on until after the election before making his final decision. He would have had at least three or possible four more councillors to support him.
DeleteTrouble is Matthew was too bloody honest for the likes of certain people in Senior positions in the Administration and Local Government. These people are not honest, have no integrity and are lacking in common decency and they worked their buts off to destroy Matthew.
Yes, Mr Krieg spoke for many people and with authority. He has held responsible and respected positions and has a strong grasp of right and wrong. He was a worthy spokesman for us all. No-one there could have labelled him as 'just another troublemaker' as some people have done of others who were trying to get openness and accountability — something that should be afforded to all as a matter of course.
DeleteWe ourselves (30 present in the gallery) showed our respect for Matthew by standing in unison to honour his efforts on behalf of York, against a tide of obfuscation and power games.
Once he had announced his resignation, Matthew felt freer to reveal how he had been required, by advice given him, to respond to queries in ways that did not fit with his conscience, and that whatever he and the current Councillors had tried he had been met with blocks all the way, that directives to the A/CEO were ignored, etc...
We ourselves have seen examples of obfuscation by the A/CEO in letters of reply to enquiries, by his writing garbled sentences, for instance. When asked for clarification, he has sent replies that were equally meaningless or irrelevant, such as out-of-context quotes out of policies with no direct relation to what was asked, or quoting a latin legal phrase which has totally ne bearing on the status of the matter in hand and again was totally irrelevant to the situation. In at least one instance I was witness to, he dragged a third party into a ratepayer's correspondence to him, and in writing to the third party as well as the original correspondent he revealed private information belonging to the original ratepayer to that third party, while not mentioning it to the original correspondent. He recently wrote to another ratepayer about an issue relating to a totally different person residing the opposite side of the river to the person he wrote to, about an issue that has nothing to do with the person he wrote to. Under the influence of our disastrous former Commissioner he constantly refused to enact at least one matter which Council passed to be acted upon late last year, and since Matthew's return has continued to refuse to enact that directive. He also sent at least one FOI response which consisted entirely of 4 pages of black squares and black oblongs, every word being thus redacted. What disrespect to the ratepayer, and what a waste of photocopier ink — ink we ratepayers pay for.
These are but a few simple examples known to me of the intransigency of this A/CEO. If these few are known to me there must be many more known to others.
It is therefore totally understood how our Shire President found his authority to direct the A/CEO thwarted at every turn, and totally understandable how he found himself with no option (for the sake of his own integrity, the welbeing of his family, and the need for a drastic solution) but to make the ultimate stand against a situation which is not working, and which is totally untenable, given the intransigence of the players involved — and which was constantly putting him in the 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' position, regardless of his own integrity and the authority which rightfully goes with being part of Council and being Shire President (the one Shire President ever to be voted into Council with such a magnificent majority of ratepayer votes)
Matthew deserves our gratitude for contributing his best against the odds, and deserves to be able to get on with his life with his family and work, knowing that it is now going to be up to someone else in the 'hot seat' and the whole town insisting on openness, integrity and accountability in both our Council and the future Administration.
Let us also hope for appointment of a new CEO with social intelligence, integrity, and thorough knowledge of Local Government guidelines who is willing to communicate rationally and respectfully with the citizens of this town whoever they be.
Nicely put.
DeleteIt's up to Minister Simpson to stop the rot in his Department, until he does, York will never be able to move on. The Departments officers - Mathews, Law, Morris and Jolly have sacrificed the interests of the York community in order to save face for years of inaction.
I have been lucky enough not to have received a letter from ACEO Simpson, but I have read quite a few that have either been published or sent to friends. Like you, I find them confusing and irritating, a hopeless vain attempt to promote himself as being studious and intellectual, a sure sign of someone who is well out of their depth. Simple English is what we need, no ambiguity, no adulterated quotes, no erroneous legal jargon, gobbledygook, is a tried and tested tactic of the bureaucrats to confuse and wear down their prey but hopelessly ineffective these days.
Delete120,127 page views to date.
ReplyDeleteKeep an open mind about Rob Forster. Jim and I will be speaking with him tomorrow to get to know him better. He is honest to the very core, as far as I can tell so far. Integrity is also his modus operandi, from the discussions I have had with Rob. He was at the Council meeting Monday and told me he has been attending others as well, staying very aware of what has been happening in town during the 10 years he has owned property here. More after tomorrow's meeting....
ReplyDeleteJane, with all due respect, who is he? You'll remember the 2009 election and Roy Scott ex policeman supposedly 'honest', lots of ideas etc, open accountable government, he turned out to be a real arsehole. He sold himself as honest and what we ended up with, don't be sucked in by first impressions. It was only in 2011 Scott and Boyle were parading up and down the street announcing their agenda was to get rid of the Hooper's, remember?
DeleteI agree with Anonymous 23rd September 14:37 - Jane you had not heard of this mans name before he nominated, how can you possibly vouch for him?
DeleteI had intended giving you my vote, but your beating of this candidates drum has sent alarm bells ringing for me.
Who told you he is honest? Who told you he has integrity? Did he?
I cannot recall seeing him at any ordinary or special council meetings, other than the last meeting when Matthew resigned.
Don't align yourself Jane, remember the adage; if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
DeleteI hear you Anonymous 14.37, and I wouldn't have written what I did if I didn't believe Rob should be considered. I also qualified my remarks with 'as far as I can tell' from my conversations with him thus far. From what I have been told, many knew with whom Roy Scott was aligned before the election and this proved itself true beyond a shadow of a doubt when he joined them and acted in concert with RH.
DeleteMy first question to Rob was his allegiance, for the very reason you expressed concern. Again, more after tonight's meeting.
Maybe Mr Forster should step out of the shadows and follow your lead and promote what he stands for. We simply cannot risk another ineffectual and cowardly person on Council. I understand Mr Forster has some interest in York's equine fraternity. It would be very safe to assume he and Pat Flynn are well known to each other, therefore, applying the same logic , Mr Forster and Pat Flynn are closely associated with our very own censured ex Shire President, Mr Boyle....Enough said?
DeleteYes, I asked about that connection as well - a concern I share with you. My understanding is AVRA will again sponsor a Meet the Candidates evening soon and everyone will have the opportunity to address their questions to the candidates who participate. This will provide a much needed forum for clarifying issues of concern. Therefore it's important as many residents as possible attend. Like you, I want a Council that is strong and unified in dealing with the challenges we're presently facing.
DeleteJane E Ferro 23 September 2015 at 21:49 - you would be wise to start listening to those you are hoping to receive votes from. Someone above has already suggested you not align yourself with this candidate and if you are not prepared to listen on this, can we be sure you will listen if you get voted into council?
DeleteYou now claim you share readers concern about Forsters possible connection with Tony Boyle but you didn't mention that in your first promotion of him.
Do you honestly believe Mr. Forster will tell you the truth if he is aligned with Tony Boyle?
There is no way I am voting for anyone who has even a whiff of connection with Tony Boyle.
Jane it is dangerous to promote someone if you are going to include an escape clause!
DeleteI didn't make myself clear, Anonymous 18.11, Anonymous 01.22 and Bill. To clarify what I meant, let me add that I shared the concern about the connection with the race course and Pat Flynn. My first thought when I read Rob's profile is there probably is a connection. This isn't the case, which is what I meant to convey. My only escape clause is to recommend that everyone who is interested in knowing more about the candidates attend the Meet the Candidates evening and ask the questions for yourself. Then only vote, according to your own perceptions, for those whom you think will be the best Councillors for York.
DeleteI didn't think I was aligning myself with someone less well known than others on the list by simply suggesting we keep an open mind about him and what he can offer the town and the residents. I have gone out of my way to converse with Rob because I had the opportunities and took advantage of them, to ensure I wasn't forming unsubstantiated opinions. I attempt to treat everyone new to my acquaintance with the same consideration, and I will continue to do so if elected to Council.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion about this candidate, however what you wrote indicated you formed your opinion about this person quite quickly.
DeleteUnfortunately we have all been lied to by candidates before, and many of us have leant the hard way that it is dangerous to believe anything they say in the run up to the election.
Me, I am only voting for those I personally know and trust.
What's the verdict Jane?
DeleteJane, when someone asked at Monday's meeting about a Meet the Candidates evening the answer seemed to be that there wasn't one. Or was it just that it hadn't been organised yet?
DeleteMatthew stated that the Shire would not be organising a meet the candidate evening, when asked why, he stated that the mentors did not think it appropriate (like its got anything to do with them).
DeleteI believe AVRA are making noises about hosting the event.
We were told at Monday's council meeting the mentors advised Matthew that it's not appropriate for the Shire to sponsor a Meet the Candidates evening. Therefore, AVRA will again sponsor it . I'll make sure the information is on both blogs as soon as the details are worked out.
DeleteMy verdict: give due consideration to Rob Forster when you are deciding on how you will vote. Rob will participate in the Meet the Candidates evening. Therefore, you can both speak with him before and after the meeting as well as ask questions publicly. Then you will be able you to make your own determination.
Give over pushing Rob Forster's barrow Jane, you are going to lose votes if you don't.
DeleteWhat about throwing a bit of support behind Tricia Walters, Heather Saint and Denese Smythe on the blog?
Jane - How can you say someone is honest to the very core and vouch for their integrity when you have only known this person for a couple of weeks and hardly know him at all.
ReplyDeleteYou are coming across as his campaign manager.
I too was very saddened with our President Matthew Reid's resignation but understand the reasons why. He has taken so much and tried his very best to do what the majority of York ratepayers wanted. We will miss you Matthew and if you happen to change your mind after the elections???
ReplyDeleteI also agree the professional presentation by Mr Krieg was outstanding. I await to hear the outcome from the Fraud Squad as it is long overdue. I don't think the Administration will assist them.
I also will be voting for Jane a very competent business operator and a person that always listens. Also Heather Saint, Denese Symthe & Dr Plumridge. I will check out Rob Forster as we need honest and Councillors that have integrity,
I'm amazed by the copious amount of smoke Matthew Reid has blown up Minister Simpson's arse. Ten months ago, Simpson suspended our democratically elected Council and installed a con-man in James Best. To reiterate and elaborate, James Best is nothing more than a thief and a liar, he has had a devastating effect on York not only fiscally but morale is at an all time low, and Matthew Reid singing his praises.....F****d if I know!
ReplyDeleteSomething does not add up.
DeleteMinister Simpson needs to come out and tell the people of York he was mis-informed and mislead by Senior Staff, Pat Hooper and the Department of Local Government which would then explain why Matthew has suddenly become one of his supporters.
Sadly, anyone in York involved in equine activities is by association, tainted by names like Boyle and Watts. There are a couple of other names who I will not mention because I know little about them and it would be unfair, but Messrs Boyle and Watts have brought it on themselves.
ReplyDeleteGuys your wrong I know Rob and I doubt that he even knows Boyle and watts and if he does he probably would not care about the past issues, hes a decent bloke and honest, why not try and call him and talk to him he is very approachable - just a thought before you denigrate the poor guy
ReplyDeleteAnonymous27 September 2015 at 04:41
ReplyDeleteTrouble is, voters have been fooled and lied to before by candidates which is why we have had all the problems.
IF Rob expects votes he should care about past issues because they will not simply go away, they have to be addressed.
Has every one forgotten York promotes itself on it's History and at the moment some of that history has a stench to it!
Rob may be a nice guy and approachable, but there is no way I can get to know him well enough to put my trust in him. There is simply not enough time before the election.
I am voting only for those I personally know because at least I know they are honest and have ethics.
your obviously one of the other candidates trying to scare people away from this bloke Forster, do you think were all stupid mate
ReplyDeletegood call Jane I like the way you have taken the trouble to talk to Mr Forster and give him support
ReplyDelete