Hon David Templeman
Dear DavidIt would appear that Mukinbudin has dispensed with Ray Hooper’s services. His replacement is full-time CEO, Dirk Sellenger.
I have yet to check where Mr. Hooper is, but given the performance of WALGA it is likely he will be recommended to, then foisted on, some poor, unsuspecting rural town.
There is no statute of limitations regarding malfeasance with the illicit spending of public monies. Mr Hooper was never found ‘not guilty’ of any act and may well still have a case to answer.
Your own staff has found that senior public service offices have managed to remain well and truly ensconced in a highly paid industry leaving in suspicious circumstances from one shire council to reappear at another.
In Ray Hooper’s case his credit card, rental assistance and other salary packaging meant that he earned around the Australian minimum wage above and beyond his exorbitant six-figure salary.
I am sure you agree that the near criminal, immoral largesse of some councils cannot continue and examples have to be made to stop ratepayers being ripped off.
One action is to let it be known within the industry that Ray Hooper is now personae- non-grata
and should hold no future position in local government.
Regarding the issue of the recalcitrant Mayor of Perth, Ms. Lisa Scaffidi, the Premier may have difficulty in removing her from office as a single entity.
Under the Local Government Act 1995 I believe you personally have the power to suspend and/or sack the entire City of Perth Council.
Kind regards
David Taylor.
Date April 14, 2017
Hon David Templeman MLA
Minister for Local government
7th Floor Dumas House
WEST PERTH WA 6085
Your Ref : - ‘RATEPAYERS FUNDED COUNCILS’ TWO YEAR BOOZE BINGE.
Relating to FORMER SHIRE OF YORK CEO, RAY HOOPER.
Much of this was written months ago before the State Election. You may have received it before titled WALGA’S RAY OF SUNSHINE.
You would have now read the article in ‘Perth Now’ called ” Ratepayers Funded Councils two Year Booze Binge” regarding the Exmouth Councils ability to spend $30,000 in two years on alcohol.
They, as a group, could be called quite prudent as former Shire of York CEO Ray Hooper, between 2004 and 2014, managed to spend approximately $25,000 a year on booze, restaurants, accommodation travel and trinkets. This $250,000 was spent mainly on him, but on odd occasions it included council cronies and his wife.
Hooper resigned in April 2014 as allegations of massive misuse of his credit card emerged. Fake investigations were conducted by fellow council employees and he was technically cleared of any wrong doing by the then Shire of York Commissioner, James Best.
The investigation could at best (no pun intended) be called a farce.
The Perth Now article exposed the fact that many of these miscreants end up in highly paid employment in other country shire councils.
Ray Hooper is now the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Shire of Mukinbudin.
As I think you are aware-many in York have been loud and clear in condemnation of the former State and Local Government bureaucracy in its inability to engage with local communities to establish what their wants and needs really are.
Also regarding the continuing regime of Local Government, senior employees with no abilities and ethics who are repeatedly reincarnated by inglorious bastard, finger-in-the-pie groups- such as WALGA.
Rural shires especially are strictly limited to the wants and needs of WALGA’s often incompetent Membership Board. So it is time for your government to make important socio-economic and administrative changes.
Letter sent to Lynne Craigie, President WALGA, September 14, 2016.
Your Ref: - Acting CEO Ray Hooper.
Congratulations
It appears that WALGA in an ersatz Local
Government Mafiosi encouraging and perpetuating the lowest standards of
officialdom within Local Government Areas, while retaining the highest level of
poor quality administration and lack of ethics and morality among your members.
As you can see both Tony Simpson and the Premier have been in the past, and now in the present, made aware of local government community disrespect of the likes of Ray Hooper and by association, WALGA.
Letter sent to Tony Simpson and Colin Barnett, September 11, 2016
Your ref: - RAY HOOPER former CEO- SHIRE OF YORK
The disgraced former CEO of the Shire of York, Ray Hooper, has resurrected himself as Acting CEO of the Mukinbudin Shire.
Two years ago it was reported in the press that Hooper had resigned amid accusations of misuse of a corporate credit card, using improper auditing procedures and engaging in the personal harassment of local ratepayers.
It has been alleged that Hooper left York with a multi-billion dollar debt including a new $15.2 million convention and recreation centre and Shire-owned tavern in extreme financial difficulty and crumbling assets such as unmaintained and unsafe local roads.
Hooper’s activities were brought to the attention of the Major Fraud Squad and the CCC, but no charges have been laid (nor has he ever been officially exonerated.)
Hooper’s appointment has come at a time when the Auditor General, Colin Murphy, has continuously expressed grave concerns regarding the quality of the financial auditing of nearly 50 per cent of Local Governments in WA and questions have been asked regarding the capabilities of the Minister for Local Government and his department.
You would be aware that Minister Tony Simpson later sacked himself.
Ray’s resurrection!
The only living creature that can survive a nuclear holocaust is believed to be the humble cockroach.
However there is another great survivor, a humble Local Government love-child named Ray Hooper.
Now this brilliant example of local government administration aficionados’ is the Acting CEO of the Shire of Mukinbudin.
How lucky are the 491 locals who can look forward to his friendly smile, his personal generosity with
the Shire’s Corporate Credit Card and getting a postcard when he attends an obscure conference in some Far-North Queensland holiday resort at their expense.
The Mukinbudin Council must have seen Ray’s enthusiastic referee statements from Kalgoorlie, Chittering and last, but not least, York. Then there are all the glowing testimonials in the Fitz-Gerald Report.
I am sure the Mukinbudin’s are mightily impressed with the lovely article which appeared in The West Australian after York’s much-loved leader resigned suddenly leaving the town physically, emotionally- and financially devastated.
Yes Mukinbudin now feels like it has just won ‘Lotto’.
So ring them up and ask to say ‘Gooday Ray’ or drop him a friendly email wishing him well.
The number is 9047 2100 and the email is admin@mukinbudin.wa.gov.au .
He is not wanted by the Major Fraud Squad or the Corruption and Crime Commission. So make him feel wanted by somebody!
Maybe it is time for Labor’s Department of Local Government to make Mr. Hooper feel unwelcome
everywhere.
Kind regards
David Taylor.
As you can see both Tony Simpson and the Premier have been in the past, and now in the present, made aware of local government community disrespect of the likes of Ray Hooper and by association, WALGA.
Letter sent to Tony Simpson and Colin Barnett, September 11, 2016
Your ref: - RAY HOOPER former CEO- SHIRE OF YORK
The disgraced former CEO of the Shire of York, Ray Hooper, has resurrected himself as Acting CEO of the Mukinbudin Shire.
Two years ago it was reported in the press that Hooper had resigned amid accusations of misuse of a corporate credit card, using improper auditing procedures and engaging in the personal harassment of local ratepayers.
It has been alleged that Hooper left York with a multi-billion dollar debt including a new $15.2 million convention and recreation centre and Shire-owned tavern in extreme financial difficulty and crumbling assets such as unmaintained and unsafe local roads.
Hooper’s activities were brought to the attention of the Major Fraud Squad and the CCC, but no charges have been laid (nor has he ever been officially exonerated.)
Hooper’s appointment has come at a time when the Auditor General, Colin Murphy, has continuously expressed grave concerns regarding the quality of the financial auditing of nearly 50 per cent of Local Governments in WA and questions have been asked regarding the capabilities of the Minister for Local Government and his department.
You would be aware that Minister Tony Simpson later sacked himself.
Ray’s resurrection!
The only living creature that can survive a nuclear holocaust is believed to be the humble cockroach.
However there is another great survivor, a humble Local Government love-child named Ray Hooper.
Now this brilliant example of local government administration aficionados’ is the Acting CEO of the Shire of Mukinbudin.
How lucky are the 491 locals who can look forward to his friendly smile, his personal generosity with
the Shire’s Corporate Credit Card and getting a postcard when he attends an obscure conference in some Far-North Queensland holiday resort at their expense.
The Mukinbudin Council must have seen Ray’s enthusiastic referee statements from Kalgoorlie, Chittering and last, but not least, York. Then there are all the glowing testimonials in the Fitz-Gerald Report.
I am sure the Mukinbudin’s are mightily impressed with the lovely article which appeared in The West Australian after York’s much-loved leader resigned suddenly leaving the town physically, emotionally- and financially devastated.
Yes Mukinbudin now feels like it has just won ‘Lotto’.
So ring them up and ask to say ‘Gooday Ray’ or drop him a friendly email wishing him well.
The number is 9047 2100 and the email is admin@mukinbudin.wa.gov.au .
He is not wanted by the Major Fraud Squad or the Corruption and Crime Commission. So make him feel wanted by somebody!
Maybe it is time for Labor’s Department of Local Government to make Mr. Hooper feel unwelcome
everywhere.
Kind regards
David Taylor.
The words 'public service' do have a sense of entitlement these days, given all the perks like; cars, fuel, supa's, houses, utilities, IT, mobiles, clothing allowances etc, all this on top of salaries bigger than your average phone number.
ReplyDeleteThe bureaucraps justify the perks by praising themselves up for securing 100's of 1000's of dollars for projects such as the hopeless failure ⸺ the YRCC, even though the money came from us (the tax/ratepayer) in the first place.
Don't forget David, the Exmouth CEO did have the humility and managed to bring himself to apologize to the ratepayers of Exmouth, albeit insincere and a mere formality giving him a better chance to slither into another lucrative LG position. Still, it's more than we got!
Bureaucraps are well aware that what they’re doing is unsustainable, success for them, gauged by KPI's set by them, (sometimes assessed by them) simply means preserving their own privileged positions while managing the decline of local government in such a way that those who are hurt by it are brutally hammered so not to rise up in open revolt.
Once the bureaucrap finds him/herself in the ideal employment situation with significantly better than average wages, top of the line perks and the rock solid security (for life) of the kind that means he/she will not experience any major disruptions during their income earning years, regardless of how fucking useless or dishonest he or she is. Or, how much he/she deserves to be sacked, which inevitably and conveniently opens the door to the habitual obligatory lucrative golden handshake/keep your mouth shut pay-off.
Given that most of us ordinary people have experienced the opposite of 'ideal' at some point or another, if not most of the time, if you suddenly found yourself in the 'ideal' situation, wouldn’t you be inclined to count your blessings every day and commit to not losing that perspective? I would.
That 'perspective' would mean that even while no job is ever going to be perfect, you’d be able to dismiss minor annoyances like being held to account now and again, as on balance, you’d appreciate how fortunate you are to be in a situation where the negatives of a job are seriously outweighed by the obscene remuneration packages and associated privileges.
So, how on earth do the privileged few manage to hold onto the tremendous advantages they’ve leeched from the rest of us?
Rule of thumb, one third of the population are workers, one third is government, and the last third lives off the first two thirds, so naturally the two thirds gang up on the first third, the working man/woman. Not only are WE seriously outnumbered, but WE're also tired because WE actually have to work for a living.
If we had principled bureaucraps they would know that something needs to be done about this, instead, self preservation cuts in and they work hand in hand with each-other in order to give themselves special protection while continuing their trough feeding uninterrupted.
York's a microcosm of the big bad Western world, although things are changing, ask Hillary.