RAY’S GONE- BUT THE MEMORY LINGERS ON.

Hon David Templeman

Dear David

It 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
7^th 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.


  

YORK'S IN THE MONEY (Perhaps)

Regarding yesterday’s epistle to Mia Davies aptly called WHAT A CROCK!
It was about her interview, in The West Australian, on the business plans for the use of Royalties for Regions. Her statement that these uses had the approval of the appropriate department and herself, as a former Member of Cabinet, is astounding.

She has her own copy of “What a Crock “and so do a lot of other politicians.

Personally I have no animosity towards Ms. Davies and I hope she understands that. However, I have no respect for what she has achieved in the past which could be best defined as the ‘small stuff” while the trouble she caused was known as the “big stuff”.

As Minister for Water and Forests she was loathed by many who worked in these departments, creating a great deal of animosity with the experts who thought she was an interfering, unintellectual “Barbie Doll”.

They showed what they thought of her in the best way possible- they resigned.

She obviously has a few friends in the central Wheatbelt for whatever reason and is back as the Member for Central Utopia, also called La La Land. But she no longer has Brendon Grylls to watch her back!

It is probably that, unfortunately, the Central Wheatbelt has become such a basket case over the past eight years no other candidate really wanted to try and pick up the pieces.

The far more important news for York is that Premier Mark McGowan has committed himself, and $450 million, to destination tourism. York should make itself high on the list of these destinations

Alannah McTiernan, the new Minister for Regional Development has, a different mindset regarding much of the use of Royalty for Regions.

Painting swimming pools and planting petunias in the main street are out.

The new in is the forward- thinking infrastructure development of agricultural regions like the Wheatbelt including energy/ utility projects and much needed research.

So the future may be less rosy and more filled with capital works and other projects for the State’s most necessary granary.

Those I do have a deep and abiding loathing for and animosity against are some “Anonymous” pinheads who comment.

However, they have every right to show that they have no credibility, are nondescript, faceless and colourless and basically gutless. That is pretty much the lexicons’ (dictionary if you do not know) description of what an Anon-my-Arse is.

Ah yes- there is a difference between to and too. I am glad that Anonymous of April 9 pointed this out- and yes I certainly do know where York is. I think I no (sorry know) you. You are the two-headed Dumbo that loves wearing your tutu to much- or is it too much.

Dr. James Plumridge has my respect because he has the strength of character to use his name and express himself how he feels-using it. No-one really wants to hear from those who are not strong or proud enough of themselves to use their own name.

Regards
David Taylor.

WHAT A CROCK!

April 10, 2017

Hon Mia Davies
Member for Central Wheatbelt
The Old Town Hall
Mitchell Street
MERREDIN WA 6415

Dear Ms. Davies,

Your Ref : - The West Australian  “Royalties for Regions to get major shake- up”. April 10, 2017.

It is great to read about your in in-depth knowledge of the effects of the Royalty for Regions program as delivered by you and the now defunct Brendon Grylls.

Certainly it must be exciting to still be the Member for the planet Central Utopia where lies become truth and financial suicide becomes brilliant commercial decisions. Then of course you’re feeling that you well may be Ivana Trump’s doppelganger. (She’s Trump’s first wife.)

Please let me ensure that those few erudite words you delivered to the press actually came from you, are correct, and taken in context?

The first is that the new Labor Government is ‘slashing (the Royalties for Regions program’ for projects ‘that should be funded out of general revenue.’

Maybe you were getting a facial when the news broke that because of your government’s financial gambles and fiscal failings, WA is in its worst economic state since ‘The Great Depression”.

The Iron Ore Boom ended in 2014, three years ago and general revenue plunged then. I hope it did not interfere with your pedicure appointments so you missed the Cabinet  discussions about being broke?!


So what ‘Monopoly Money’ general revenue are you talking about, the $1 billion black hole, or the $43 billion deficit you left behind?

Now here is another of your significant quotes ‘Royalties for Regions was the most scrutinized spend in Government’.

Now who were the scrutineers? One was certainly the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission and the Auditor General, Colin Murphy, was another- trying to get his mind around a $6 billion squander.

And of course there was Brendon Grylls massive Royalties for Regions property spend in the Pilbara that has collapsed. Now the Australian Securities and Investment Commission are after the rapacious rogue Real Estate Agent, Veronica MacPherson who Grylls’ both covertly and overtly promoted her project in the region.

Former Premier Colin Barnett was sick and tired of R4R, claiming all the cherries had been picked, or was it just the low hanging fruit?

Now here comes the classic of all time that makes everyone believe you may have snorted too much Canola.

It is assumed that the following drivel includes such magnificent community ventures and much used local recreation facilities as the York Recreation and Convention Centre (YRCC) and the South Hedland Aquatic Park (SHAP) that has not been used for two summers?

Now for your Hans Christian Anderson quote of the 21^st Century

“Every project required a business case to be prepared by the department responsible for the spend, assessed by the Department of Regional Development and assessed by Cabinet for approval.

Currently the Shire of York in your Electoral Planet of Central Utopia has an internal income shortfall of $2.2 million this financial year in rates and sundry debts. This will more likely get much worse, not better.

Your Central Utopia has the second highest unemployment rate in WA of nearly 8 %, but probably as high as 18% in some of the really utopian parts.

The YRCC, with much of its concept still being defended vigorously by the Shire, has caused an overall debit of $15.2 million, to service 300, but with repayments made by an entire population which has, as a couple of non-generous and generous guesses of between 2,900 to 3,400 people.

So where is the business case- by what department- and when did you give your approval. Or did you have to leave Cabinet early for you hair appointment with Maurice Meade?

No matter what- it will cost everyone in York, ratepayer or two-year-old toddler, $5,000 each to pay off the debt as it stands today with a diminishing, mainly poorly paid population to pay for it- who are just living the dream.

This does not include future maintenance; restoration and payment of loan interest and possible future capital investment that could see the debt grow to $30 million by 2035.

Effectively, there are no changes that can be made that will make it much less than a millennial millstone caused by Royalty for Regions.

So when you sit with your feet up in your Electorate Office, giving yourself a manicure, think back about what Barnett said about low hanging fruit.

Or did he actually mean Lemon, being the R4R and you?

Kinds Regards

David Taylor.(Call me anytime- I am sure Max Trenorden sends his regards).

PARADISE LOST (maybe York to?)

Three-hundred and fifty years ago a blind man was far more insightful than the sighted. Not only did he write one of the greatest of poems, he fought for free speech and freedom of the press though he could have been executed for expressing these thoughts.

His name was John Milton, a venerated forefather of what is now social media, the right of the common man and woman to publically debunk elitism, political lies, the abuse of power, the tyranny of aristocracy and the forced showing of undue respect to those who deserve none. All accomplished by the power of the pen- and now computer.

Milton considered Oliver Cromwell, who assisted in executing King Charles 1 as a hero of liberty and equality. Milton was certainly not a Royalist, just like Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today.

In the 1950’s the Wheatbelt was also Paradise. Beautiful, long family trips down dusty memory lanes, lined with lazily hanging eucalypts, for a pit stop with home-made biscuits and tea hot from the thermos.

Waving in harmony with the whispering gentle breeze would be a wheat crop stretching endlessly across the landscape.

This scene was not lonely but tranquil. A view of a broad church with blue skies, a sprinkling of fluffy, cotton-wool clouds and fields of gold that was a place for quiet reflection, peace and contentment.

Nothing has really changed that much in the allure of the bush other than the shade from some aesthetically graceful trees are now but a bitter wood-chip memory. Also many of the roads are no longer graded gravel- they are crumbling bitumen lined with potholes.

But is it still paradise? The rural countryside itself is!

However what of the people?

Men wore hats when they came to York and doffed them with respect to ladies in brightly coloured floral dresses. The police Sergeant had automatic respect, the Postmaster, the Stationmaster, the head of the Roads Board, the Country Party Member, the Shire President, the School Headmaster and the local priest and pastor- even if they were all absolute tools.

Now personal, political and public service respect is a memory, investigated and sometimes rightfully destroyed by social media, for others than for those who can actually prove they deserve some. Respect has to be earned the hard way these days.

There is more ‘ICE’ in the Wheatbelt than the South Pole, and it is destroying young adults, leaving them psychotic and dangerous, and sometimes dead. So do the police deserve respect for this inability to control a deadly scourge?

And has any past Government Department bothered to tell you that Yongah Hills Detention Centre in Northam is no longer a refugee camp? It should be known as a high security prison filled with mainly vicious New Zealand Bikie Gang Members, like ‘The Mongrel Mob’ waiting to be deported. (It will more than likely become a holiday camp for Christian Tarou Chadwick on his way home.)

It has the occasional savage bashing of innocent people to prevent these arseholes from getting bored. Yet some of the guards are still the ones who were trained to look after women and children from Muslim countries and their lives are being put at risk by Serco.

Any employee who dares to tell the public there are vicious bikies in the Yongah Hills woodpile will get sacked by the company in a split second.

Then there is the Shire of York and its council so different in structure, delivery and demands from five to six decades ago.

Does it deserve automatic respect because many have been taught to revere authority and not to question its supposed Local Government God-given right of dominant control and often hidden, personal agendas?  That is the individuals call.

Should it be treated with disrespect or distain? That is also up to the individual.

However the best way to treat the Shire of York is let the ugly financial reality be publically known, not hidden by creative accounting and deathly silence.

Currently the Shire has an internal income shortfall of $2.2 million this financial year in rates and sundry debts. This will more likely get much worse, not better.

Many thousands of workers who came to WA for the mining boom have returned home so the State’s portion of the GST will get even smaller and it is claimed to be an additional $1 billion ‘black hole’ in the WA economy.

Assertions are already being made that the WA economy is in its worst financial state since the ‘Great Depression’.

Money allocated for both Commonwealth and State grant funding will be scarce and what little there is will be granted only to the best and most needy funding requests.

The Shire of York better be good at holding out the begging bowl, there are likely to be 20 less government and semi-government agencies to plead with and 20% less local government executives to crawl to.

It better start thinking laterally. This is something that public servants are not trained to do. 

The Shire should have a legal axe to grind with Commissioner James Best, because he was never hired by anyone for his farcical Chrystal ball gazing called ‘Visioning’.

Best, as Commissioner, was all powerful. No Acting CEO could hire him such as Graeme Simpson. He was employed and introduced to York by Brad Jolly because Tony Simpson could not walk, talk, breathe and make decisions all at the same time.

The Shire Council was suspended so it had no power to hire anybody for anything. The only one with the power to hire the Commissioner for York & Visioning and (the fraudulent excessive-price purchase of a property) was the Minister Tony Brad Simpson-Jolly who claims he did not.

So the Shire should collectively grow some cojones and demand our money back- or put Best’s head on a platter. Simpson has already been dispatched back to his bakery and Brad Jolly is part of nasty allegations of passed incompetence in the Lisa Scaffidi affair.

York probably does not know how big its population is and what real volumes of utilities such as water, electricity and gas it actually has to play with in the future to attract development. It also might be short 200 or 300 ratepayers already- if REIWA is right?

Does the Shire know if Western Power has, or could provide cheaply the Headworks for enough ‘three-phase’ electrical capacity for half-a-dozen new power hungry industries?

How many additional kilojoules of natural gas could it guarantee if it started negotiating with a major new enterprise for York? And at what would be the competitive price it could assist in establishing?

Around ten years ago the Shire of York did not know how much access water supply it had to provide to a Halal abattoir that was to be established.

What it did not have would cost $3 to $9million to deliver and the project sank like a stone.

These days any new comers are not investing in a business, but buying a property as a stairway to heaven.

The trains are long gone, there is one, each-way bus to Perth and no buses to Northam and no taxi. Tourist buses are now non-existent.

For these few new arrivals (if any), it is a case of watching the grass grow and the paint peeling off the facades in the main street. And look for a plot with a nice view as your final resting place.

York has the second highest unemployment rate in WA of nearly 8 %, the average age of the community is the second highest in the state, its average household income is one of the lowest and its rates, by comparison are astronomical.

The YRCC, with much of its concept still being defended vigorously by the Shire, has caused an overall debit of $15.2 million, to service 300, but with repayments made by an entire population which has, as a couple of non-generous and generous guesses of between 2,900 to 3,400 people.

In Port Hedland they have spent $35 million on community facilities such as basketball courts and a water playground for a population that is currently around 17,000 but was estimated to reach 50,000, by including reasonably close communities and the continuance of the mining boom. That did not and will not happen.

Paul Martin has been CEO of Port Hedland and now York. So you could ask him who he thought was the bigger bunch of economic idiots.

The question is it the council that spent $15 million including a small donation from Royalties for Regions on 3,000 people for the YRCC?

Or is it the council, with some R4R help, that spent $35 million on 17,000?

It is all a matter of calculating proportional, population, economic lunacy

The Port Hedland developments occurred around 2010-2012, when Paul was
CEO.

‘The Real Yell about the YRCC of York’ has certainly got its point across.
Probably no matter what- it will cost everyone in York, ratepayer or two-year-old toddler, $5,000 each to pay off the debt as it stands today with a diminishing, mainly poorly paid population to pay for it.

This does not including future maintenance; restoration and payment of loan interest and possible future capital investment that could see the debt grow to $30 million by 2035.

Effectively, there are no changes that can be made that will make it much less than a millennial millstone. I think everyone has indigested that!

Maybe Kasey Chambers or Lee Kernaghan can be convinced to do a gig at the Convention Centre. After all costs are taken out including ‘security’ you may lucky enough to gross $10,000 per concert. That should cover all up YRCC costs for 10 days.

It is touted that competitive neutrality begins when a local government business has an annual income above $200,000. What commercial businesses are LGA’s allowed to provide in competition with the private sector to anywhere near that income level, whether gross or net?

I believe the response from any potential entrepreneur to the Shire in this instance should be read the affidavit, GFY, and then see you in court.

Currently the costs of running the YRCC centre is annually miniscule compared to the amount required to be spent to bring York back to life. York has no financial capacity other than to face at least a five-year, dirt poor, annus horribilus and Paul Martin knows it.

The way that the Shire of York is currently economically structured, if the population fell to 2,000, everyone will be paying a minimum domestic household rate of $3,500 to $4,000 per property that is valued at an average of $250,000, with a rental payment average per week of $200 and around $450 if you have a mortgage.

That is just to keep the debt payments below $2 million per annum each year.

You can toss the financial fairness of estimated Gross Rental Value and Undeveloped Land Value, in York, in the bin with your totally overdrawn credit  card. And the Shire better not raise rate valuations this coming Financial Year one iota!

Just to keep a rusting roof over your head will add up to minimum outgoings of between $500 and $750 for many, prior to water, gas and electricity rates being paid and then finding the money to buy  something so the kids can eat.

Then there is the mooted $200 per annum increases in electricity prices and an investigation into Brendon Grylls’ Royalties for Regions Fuel Credit Card system.

In the end York will be totally reliant on its Shire Public Service Executives to keep the pack of wolves from the door.

Ms. Suzie Haslehurst is an interesting case regarding her employment. For 11 years she was the CEO of ‘Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation’ until 2012, she was also engaged at a high level with the ‘Arts’. This all deserves great praise but there are no direct links with Local Government administration here.

However she did shift to the Shire of Broome to become Manager of Community Development joining the Acting CEO of Broome, Paul Martin in 2013 then again in York in 2016.

It appears that arts and culture and related events are going to be high on her agenda to save York.


Firstly York’s proposed Motorcycle Festival is a huge biannual event in Northam, 40 kilometres down the road. It has been for many years. Whether they dumped it because it was a waste of time and money, York is going to find out.

If it is to be operas like ‘Tosca’ and ‘La Traviata’ at the York Town Hall that could well be an underwhelming success.

Proposals such as bringing the WA Museums collection of farming artefacts and memorabilia to be displayed in York for the next four years has fallen on deaf ears.

York’s Involvement in the development of the ‘drone’ industry to assist in broad acre farming problems was placed in an Avon Waste bin. It is now too late as others are doing it.

Lighting up York on long weekends as a magical fantasy land with both children’s, historic and Avant Garde projections blazoned on buildings, streetscapes and the Avon River appear to have been rejected by the Shire of York’s ‘flat-earth’ committee.

Nearly five years after writing Paradise Lost, Milton wrote ‘Paradise Regained’.
It is up to the Shire of York Council to see if it has the ability to regain paradise.

The pressure is certainly on and the current truth hurts.


David Taylor

GIVE A TREE A HUG, BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE CHAINSAW.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
No…………………………………..

BETWEEN

THE SHIRE OF YORK

PLAINTIFF

and

JAMES BEST BBC PTY LTD TRADING AS STAR CONSULTING
ANTHONY SIMPSON FORMER MINISTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT
OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES.

DEFENDANTS

March 30, 2017
Mr. Paul Martin
Chief Executive Officer
Shire of York
1 Joaquina Street
YORK WA 6302.

GIVE A TREE A HUG, BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE CHAINSAW.

So Paul now it is time to find a lawyer named Sue!
Nearly two decades ago dozens, maybe a hundred tree huggers and hobby farmers, tired of city life headed for a home among the gum leaves, trees, whatever. Also some were trying to get as far away as they could get from the Australian Tax Office.

Hear how these stories go:-
In early 2005 one couple decided to sell their business in Katrine near Northam and move to the exciting, historic, burgeoning community of York which had more Real Estate Agents than New York
with one agent the physical size of Manhattan with the business ethics of Mephistopheles.
It is one of numerous similar newbie stories.
Originally they looked at places such as Laurelville and Hope Farm but decided against getting back into the tourist industry.

Instead one became Branch Manager of a bank in York and one was asked to be a Parliamentary Research Officer for the Avon. 

He tried to champion the cause of giving a percentage of net revenue raised in a region back to the region and delivering cheap, piped natural gas to the Wheatbelt and the Avon. His name was not Brendon Grylls.

The reason was to attract light industry and population by making commercial and domestic gas prices three to four times cheaper .In other words-make it more economically viable to develop industry and communities in the Avon and the Wheatbelt.

The gas could have come from the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline at Leonora right through Southern Cross , Merredin to Northam through a 440mm pipe, or the 219mm Mid-West Pipeline from Geraldton, via Three Springs, New Norcia and Toodyay .

Or it could have come from the big bugger, the 660mm Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

There were numerous insurmountable obstacles.

The State Government did not want to, the big natural gas producers were selling 1 cubic litre of liquefied gas to the Japanese for around 1 to3cents per litre that was making them billions and, supposedly, to bring a gas pipeline from Perth through the Darling Scarp would involve blowing up Mundaring.

The pipe had to go underground and the base rock was too hard and no one really gave a shit about the Wheatbelt anyway.

 In fact it was all too hard and much too expensive for the gas companies when they could charge over $100, plus delivery, for an 80 litre bottle of domestic gas to everyone not on a reticulated supply.

He then asked the Shire of York to give its support to a new Hot Air Ballooning business at York to stimulate the tourist trade. The hot air in York at that time was Ray Hooper and the Council who could not even spell balloon.

His other suggestion was for York to celebrate its 175^th Anniversary. It did go ahead-just- but at no stage did Gavin Troy or Ray Hooper attend the meetings and Pat Hooper dropped in once.

Having worked for one of Australia’s largest shareholder companies this person resigned because he refused to discuss the spending of ratepayer’s money on a project without the appropriate authorities being there.

But the couple still went ahead and invested around $655,000 in York over a period of 18 months in both their own home, renovations and an investment property.

The bank value of the original home was quoted as being $395,000 with the ability to subdivide the block (r40) for three additional apartments.

This was around 2009 when the Shire of York was in full, but well hidden, failure!

At that time market value was probably somewhere between $430,000 and $440,000.

However the owners were more interested in building a granny-flat and retain the whole 2000 square metres block to look after elderly parents.

The block itself was basically worthless because it would cost more to subdivide, put in utilities such as required underground power, both to the new block and the original home- plus the site-works.

It was also required that you had to knock down a 5m x 4m shed if you wished to subdivide because they thought people would sneak in and happily live there. What a Jacky Jurmann crock of shit!.

Through Ray Hooper, Tony Boyle and a monolithic, corrupt Compadre, Colin King, they were told no-way.

This was because Hooper, et al, was trying to develop a new suburb that would not allow an infill regime in York. If you don’t think it was shonky? - Guess-what, then Colin King is not hiding out from his creditors behind a double decker bus somewhere in Perth.

The current value of a $350,000 home bought, in a place like York, over 12 years ago should be around $550,000 to $700,000 in normal circumstances, in a thriving country town so close to the Metropolitan Area ,with access to purchase historic home-sites.

It is actually worth about 200 Guatemalan Quetzals (and two goats droppings) and the owners are starting to get extremely shitty- and in a nasty, nasty mood.

Like most they are incensed with the $625,000 paid for a collapsible Convent School by a Nut Job, who employed himself to use his Chrystal ball which is a massive Conflict of Interest.

He was also the Loan-Lone Ranger who (allegedly) cleared the shire of any previous wrong doings
logged in the Fitz-Gerald Report.

There is one thing wrong here. Under the Corruption Crime & Misconduct Act, 2003, there are two arbiters, the WACCC who (under the act) prevent, identify (find locate discover, capture etc.) and deal effectively and appropriately with those who engage in serious misconduct within the public sector. The other is the Public Service Commission which does wrist smacking.

At no stage is it mentioned that these investigations may be delegated to public servants, commissioners etc. who may, or may not have a vested interest or the ability to conduct such an investigation.

James Best certainly did not have these investigative credentials. He could only sign cheques with his signature to and for himself and at least two much loved sycophants.

There is known to be one letter addressed to John McKechnie QC, also the Parliamentary Inspector, Mr. Murray Alder, that bore any relationship to the Fitz Gerald Report 2014 dated in September, 2015.

It was regarding a letter sent by a Ms. Barbara Inglis, of the WACCC on August 22, 2014 at 1.58 pm to the Shire of York Customer Service (that is not a correct office address) to Acting CEO Michael Keeble.

For correspondence regarding an investigation into financial wrongdoing to be sent to a non- existent address where its content would be passed around the Shire of York Office to be viewed  by everyone and his dog is WTF?

Former Premier, Colin Barnett, covertly thought McKechnie may be an expensive clown and I believe these sentiments may have been shared by Police Commissioner, Karl O’Callaghan.

The correspondence contained a false allegation that the WACCC tried to defend as a legitimate, legal function under section 33(1)© of the  Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Act , 2003

Ms Inglis  was seeking information regarding the Fitz Gerald Report from Michael Keeble who had no idea what he was talking about and that included anything and everything. (Other than Boyle, Hooper and Duperouzal whispering in his ear,) Men he claimed to dislike intensely.

The WACCC was so stupid it had dates wrong but still interviewed Mr. Keeble at their Perth Offices on Thursday August 21, 2014. They were far more interested in who publically released what should have been a community-owned document- than the accusations the Fitz-Gerald Report contained.

You know who released it and if the WACCC had asked they would have been told, accompanied by some choice epithets, followed by a few weeks in a slammer.

It would appear that the WACCC then commissioned James Best to investigate any financial wrongdoings by Shire of York Officers when by law it should have been WACCC Investigating Officers who had to identify (find, locate, discover) and then possibly charge Councillors and public officers if necessary.

As it did later in the Dowerin -and Port Hedland cases.

Instead of the WACCC publically stating the Shire of York had no case to answer it was James Best with his bulging wallet and his own huge case of conflict of Interest who said there was no evidence of misconduct among staff. No mention was made of Councillors who were also named.

So when you next amble over for tea and Tim Tams with CEO, Paul Martin, tell him its time to take James Best to a court of appropriate jurisdiction.

Remind Paul that the Shire of York has a responsibility to its ratepayers, tell him to take a shot of testosterone and initiate proceedings to seek pecuniary redress against James Best when acting as Commissioner of the Shire of York under the auspices of Tony Simpson and Brad Jolly of the DLGC,

This would be that he seriously and deliberately  breached his contract of employment, including but not specifically limited to:-

(1) failing to act ethically professionally , correctly and in good faith in the performance of his
     required duties including acting unconscionably and illegally by paying himself an additional
     income of some $40,000 without due authority

(2) engaging in fraudulent embezzlement of municipal funds by knowingly purchasing a unrequired
      property for twice its value with no known financial security arrangements to cover the Shire of
      York for he large difference between true market value, sale price and required, future
      restoration work.

(3) requesting and allowing police to attend to an official Shire of York Council meeting wearing
     firearms to intimidate, unnerve, bully and, tyrannize ratepayers into the perception that they, and
     their right to freedom of speech, was being threatened and disallowed.

(4) Publically intimating that some Shire of York ratepayers were a form of urban terrorist intent   
      on destabilizing and thereby harming the York community. Deliberately emotionally distressing
      these persons because he, and everyone else, was fully aware to whom he was referring to and
      his intent was to humiliate and disgrace them.

At the time of his employment as Commissioner to mid-2015, Mr. Best’s company was BBC (Pty Ltd);

He is now the Executive Director of a business called STAR Consulting.

So Paul, old boy, what should your legal team be hitting Best with?

Firstly any handouts he gave himself for anything he was not commissioned and entitled to. That is around $50,000 including a fine, plus the Shire’s court costs.

Then the difference between the true market value of the unwanted property and the preposterous, corrupt price paid for it. This should be around $350,000 including the fine and the Shire’s court costs.

 As he could be charged with knowingly providing false and misleading information of the valuation of the property to the lender, a twelve (12) month suspended sentence may well be appropriate.

Do not forget that his mentor Tony Simpson is now lining up at CentreLink and Brad Jolly is probably skating on very thin ice at the moment.

However before you crack the “Moet” I would like to remind you that as of February 2017, you still have outstanding rates of $1,839.900 that is only $135.000 less than last month (and the YRCC will end up like the Syrian city of Mosul, stormed by hundreds of irate ratepayers.)

At this rate you may have collected it all by April 2018, if you do not include the sundry debtors of $348,000. As of July 1, 2017, it all starts again so someone may have to take a pay cut?

So far I have not seen your new demographics website that casually mentioned York had 3668 people in 2012.

The REIWA Site still claims there are only 2387 people living in their extremely vast aerial map of the York town-site and surrounds. Does this mean there are over 1,000 people living on farms or hiding in sheds?

It certainly means that the current commercial and domestic rate valuation should be reduced by no less than 20% for the 2017-2018 Financial Year.

Regarding the Community Scorecard Result for 2017 it reads like the report cards of Grade 3 children with learning difficulties and suggests York will be close to a ghost town in a decade.

Regarding legal action, Ray Hooper of Mukinbudin is definitely a rabbit in the spotlight and if Jacqui Jurmann of Beverley is actually Jacky Jurmann of York she should start checking up on legal aid.

To say that there is an astonishing disrespect for the Shire of York regarding its attitudes, performance and accountability would be an understatement. Because comments are not published on a particular website it does not mean they are not read.

Some think that because you were not here when actions bordering on the criminal took place, they believe it absolves you of any wrongdoing.

You would be a fool to think that. Even four years down the track, if you are aware of any evidence of, and in particular have witnessed any material thing that suggests fraud or any other criminal malfeasance, that you have deliberately withheld from investigation by the appropriate authorities you would be up the proverbial shit-creek without a paddle. (It is called being an accessory after the fact.) .

This is a friendly warning.

Kind regards

David Taylor.

A SITE FOR SORE EYES! THE NEW WEB IS HERE.

It is neat, tidy, reasonably easy to access, navigate the menu and so far appears to be devoid of the ludicrous, stomach churning lyricism that won it the World’s Worst Website for 10 years running- and it is now here on your laptop.

Is it brilliant, revolutionary or innovative? No!  Is it particularly interesting? Not yet. Does it seem to potentially have the right amount of ingredients- Yes!  The right amount of information? Not yet!

So far, it appears to have removed the prehistoric demographics that suggested a discrepancy of 1000 people in York’s population between 2012 and now. That means less-not more.

It would be best to source this information from the contaminated Australian Bureau of Statistics than the Avon Sub Regional Economic Group that may have featured ingenious academics like Tony Boyle. The Shire of York then could have a pedagogical leg to stand on.

Personally I believe it should be more interactive to encourage additional community participation and possibly have an educational section to encourage local school participation.

As usual the Shire of York as shown its understanding of parts of its role is at best mediocre. It chose a company called Market Creations, mainly based in Geraldton that created shire websites for Boddington, Narrogin, Kojonup, Dundas and the City of Geraldton.

No real inventive, ingenious Avant Gard ‘Geeks’ at work here, but they do the job that they are asked to do.

One of their promoted contracts was to produce the Shire of Broome Annual Report.  Maybe that is how the Shire of York got to hear about Market Creations, from CEO Paul Martin who was the Deputy CEO of Broome a little less than a year ago.

So the Shire of York should feel extremely lucky that Mr. Martin appears to know so many available staff and contractors to get things done.

Local Government service employees appear to survive very well on two old maxims ‘ it is not what you know but who you know’,  if you are caught ‘you know absolutely nothing’- or just change your name.

Many of you may well know that the Shire of Beverley has a Planner and Acting Manager, Health and Building Services called JACQUI JURMANN who works with someone called TIM JURMANN.

If you Google the name JACQUI JURMANN you get nothing. However if you Google JACKY JURMANN this person  suddenly becomes JACKY JURMANN, one the Shire of York’s senior Planning Managers and Development Managers whose assistance in enhancing the York Recreation and Convention Centre is listed high on her Curriculum Vitae. She was also allegedly sacked from some employment on or about July, 2015.

Obviously JACQUI is an entirely different person.

David Taylor.

***********

York’s WONDERFUL NEW SHIRE WEBSITE (coming sooner-or much later) 

Friday, 17 March 2017

why?  No-one knows, 49% 0f the population suffering from advanced myopia think it is great.

Otherwise cyber excitement is at fever pitch, York is to have a wondrous new website the envy of everywhere that is rural regional and remote. Not only that- it is going to be full of current accurate information and whimsical odes to its beauty and excitement. (Much sourced from the Avon Sub Regional Economic Strategy 2012, five years ago when York had around 300 more people than it does now.)

This information certainly came straight out of a senior horse’s mouth!

Right at the top will be the famous slogan “Demolishing our history to destroy our Future”.

But they get even better.

a) “A place to visit where there is little work, you may not find somewhere to play. Rest is out of the question because most of the accommodation has closed for good and its best to head off to Northam” to see if the new Dome Café is open.

b) “A place of vibrancy and energy, but one of tranquility and safety” (Lesson one- to the idiot who wrote this, it is either one or the other. It is rather hard to be vibrantly, and energetically tranquil.

c) “A place of growth where local business find opportunities to thrive, but normally die like the Imperial Hotel, The Carriage Diner, Faversham House, Laurelville, the Saints Diner and many others.

d) “A place of relative safety for sleazy entrepreneurs such as Peter Briggs who found some sanctuary in York after being jailed in 1987 for tax evasion. There are more names that could be added to this list.

e)”And of course the best of all- a place is a community and a community is a place. So “A place of community (which means a place where people live- in a community) where lifestyles chosen are important and where community matters” is a place where a community lives in a place that matters because it is a place that is a community. Or maybe the community is the place?

There’s even going to be a “Best Picture of the Week” section featuring “Pavarotti” the Parrot singing “Nessun Dorma” , a one legged sheep called “Almost Legless” and some local deviant  killing his pet kangaroo with a piece of iron pipe.

The current real estate statistics will blow your mind so much you will try to get a bank to give you a deposit. They won’t.

The median house sale price in York is $295,000, average rental value is $200 per week and the current yearly growth rate is -2.5. Affectively this means if you buy a $300,000 house in York tomorrow, at the current growth rate, it could be worth $275,000 in 2027. How lucky can you get!

Obviously if the Imperial Faversham and Laurelville actually sold the median price of housing in York would be$1.3 million. Good luck!

NOW EVEN BETTER WE HAVE THE “MEERKAT” COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD February 2017.
By Catastrophic Pty Ltd.

Unfortunately it is previously documented and signed by CEO Mr. Paul Martin, that he would not use contractors to do surveys. Do you remember that one Paul?

Some of the data cannot be compared to anything that vaguely resembles anything else in other Shire Councils. But there is enough left to choke on your toast over.

As the governing organization the Shire of York scored 43, 13 below the WA Industry Standard.

A lot of the most important ones are worse.

Communicating decisions 20, economic development 27, clear vision 28 and value for money 29 all well below 50% that should be the minimum pass mark.

Ratepayers do believe the rubbish collection regime works well and getting a book out of the library is not that hard.

Does the Shire listen and respond to resident’s questions?- a mark of 31. Do current Councillors have a good understanding of community needs?- another score of 31. Obviously some believe that the silence of the responses are deafening.

Going on this style of statistical information that is usually rabbit out of the hat stuff, illustrated with segmented party pies, there may be some of the York upper local government echelon who should be working at the tip.

However it seems that less than 10% of the population of York helped develop a Benchmark Matrix that came up with an Overall Performance Index Score being + 4.5 out of 95% as the actress said to the bishop.

Then we have the other problem of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data from the last census that was totally compromised. Who would use it? Someone in Marrakech knows you have a son named Elvis and a daughter named Gertrude.

Based solely on the low scores of communicating decisions, economic development, clear future vision and perceived value for money performance then the Shire of York’s Offices will close on March 17, 2017 and we become the Municipality of York/ The Shire of Northam.

Mr. Wallace and Mr. Martin will both receive their personal copies of this telling them to do what they feel is best for 2,000 people not , 341.

DAVID TAYLOR.

SHIRE OF YORK LG PERFORMANCE CRITIQUE

Date March 26, 2017

Hon David Templeman
Minister for Local Government and the Wheatbelt
Hon Mark McGowan
Premier of Western Australia.

Your Ref : - APPENDICES MARKYT COMMUNITY SCOREBOARD 2017
                      SHIRE OF YORK LG PERFORMANCE CRITIQUE

Gentleman

Firstly congratulations on your landslide victory .  It was totally predictable and showed the former Premier that you need both small and large brush strokes to paint the exorbitantly expensive Barnett ‘big picture” for the average voter to swallow, and the water to a children’s hospital should not be contaminated with lead.

In fact, in part, it could be called a ‘waterslide’ victory because the day Colin Barnett claimed it was unwashed, unclean WA children contaminating the new Elizabeth Quay Water Park was when the underlying  general public loathing of his arrogance and ignorance really set in.

I know some of the churlish acolytes Mr. Barnett closeted himself with in is ‘Alice in Wonderland’ world. One is the infamous Dixie Marshall, his Strategic Communications Director, news reader and football commentator whose actual ability was non-existent and had the foulest language on the planet. If she had ever said to me what she said to some of my former colleagues she would be hiding out in a cave in Nepal.

It is highly likely that the Water Park ‘Watergate” was one of Dixie Marshall’s strategic communications Machiavellian manoeuvres that failed miserably.

It will take at least four years for the “Mitchigan Mauler’ Mike Nahan, to turn the Liberal Party back into anywhere near a cohesive, competitive unit, that may attract more than just public ridicule.  That is if he has the ability- which I highly doubt. Currently the party is too fractured.

As always- it will be the media that will turn news molehills into mountains, especially when Kerry Stokes controls most of it - if you have not got Foxtel or Netflix.

But Channel 7 does have some problems, a scandalous bed-riding CEO ‘Tim Worner’ and Stokes who allegedly had serious open-heart surgery at the Mount Hospital before Christmas,’ This alleged heart valve transplant may have been triggered when Stokes heard about Worner’s ‘long term ménage a deux employee’ who was not his wife.

Kerry Stokes’ who has close to a monopolistic multi-media empire, print media executives have already started to call The Australian newspaper the Rupert Murdoch rag to deflect the fact that Stokes major publications The West Australian and The Sunday Times have an average readership of between 2% and 3% across both print and on-line platforms. Then Tim Worner, head of Channel 7will probably be sacked  when ‘his Fifty Shades of Grey” episode is finally released across the nation.

Seven West Media’s 91% profit drop, the fact that shares are just 70 cents would also tend to make you unwell and no one has dared to  mention how deadly dangerous is a ‘former female lover scorned” with a good QC. It is always nice to know the weaknesses of those who may wish to become your enemy at some stage by publishing low-brow, inaccurate  pap rather than properly researched news.

Over the past years. I have tried to keep you both informed of the sad degeneration of York and the Wheatbelt, much of it caused by Brendan Grylls closest of associates, Mia Davies. Rumour has it that she will be the new leader of the WA Nationals- they would probably better off with Pauline Hanson-Trump.

As you know WA local government has one almost insurmountable problem. There is not enough ratepayers to make many rural, regional and remote shires anywhere near self supporting or financially viable. The predicament is that 2% of Australia’s population live in more than 30 %  of its Shire councils  in 1/3^rd of the continent and over 50 % are administratively and financially incompetent, poverty stricken, or both.

There are 34 Shires with a population of less than 1,000, with an establishment average age of 117 years with up to six generations of families living there within a lot of history.

Western Australian does not have the additional capital to develop a successful demographic algorithm that will solve the problem that Department of Local Government aficionado, Brad Jolly, laughingly called mendicancy.

(Please do not forget the Brad Jolly taught the Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, all the gift gathering techniques she knows other than how finally not to get caught.)

One immediate solution is to reduce the salaries, entitlements and gratuities of every Executive Officer in the WA Department of Local Government by at least 30%, including the Chief Executive Officers of every Local Government Area in WA. These people are not going to resign- most in the private sector would not want to hire them anyway.

Colin Barnett publically stated  that senior LGA public servants were grossly overpaid- so you it was originally his decision not yours.

A second suggestion is to the number of elected Councillors in rural, regional and remote WA be reduced to  five per shire and they are each paid an absolute minimum salary of $800 per week which is about $25 above the Australian minimum wage.

They are also provided work-related tools of trade such as laptops and IPhone. And its use, for free as LGA  business necessities only. Also they can claim an additional $15,000 each per annum for legitimate travel to attend LGA training, required conferences and sitting on designated LGA committees. The Shire President and the Deputy will be paid extra.

Each potential council candidate should be able to bring to the table a discipline that bears some relationship to the broad spectrum of council business. Accountancy, business acumen, tourism knowledge, primary and secondary health care, basic due process of the law, required liquor industry knowledge, marketing, promotion or communication skills, necessary domestic and commercial land release cognizance, building codes and a good understanding of the community, its wants and needs including emerging demand for domestic and commercial utilities.

There are to be no gifts to Councillors from any third party of any material thing for any personal gain for either party without clearly defined guidelines, being not for any personal profit or gain, other than for the entire community. I am sure the Hon. John Quigley QC, the Attorney General , can create a legally binding, all encompassing clause that will make it a criminal offence for local government officials to accept private largesse.

The Western Australian Local Government Act, 1995, being over two decades old and delivering poor quality governance standards requires revision and amendments. The Auditor General should now be given full remit to audit LGA  annual financial reports and, when and where necessary, ensure charges are laid against councillors, public servants and council auditors for illegal misappropriation or fraudulent manipulation of municipal funds.

The days of semi-volunteer councillors and cake stalls to try to buy a new fire engine are long gone. You cannot have a board of directors, that Councils really are, running a type of charitable , not for profit organization when it is part of a highly competitive industry and when some towns and shires are dying.

All rural, regional and remote shires should retain their entity, identity, their shire offices and specifically their names and familial culture. Each Shire would have a manager and counter staff to provide for the normal day to day administrative needs, fire safety, ambulance facilities and ensure adequate policing.

The five Councillors would all be part of a larger Municipality (administrative division) were there would be a single Chief-Executive-Officer and management group. All shires within this Municipality with a common socio-economic, community background should have all rights in common and equal access to necessary group funding for socio-economic and community purposes.

The acronym ‘ROC” for Regionals of Councils has left a bad taste. It has the connotation that the larger councils would bully and financially dominate their smaller partners. The York Shire Council had every intention of doing this that caused the South East Avon Region of Councils to fail to develop.

There would be thirty (30) municipalities) with the Chief Executive Officer and all the necessary senior management staff, saving millions in employment cost duplication. A Shire with 1,000 people would no longer have a Planning  Officer on a salary package of $100,000 with no plans to implement, other than re-filling the coffee machine.

At least 284 senior local government officials, including most Chief-Executive-Officers, should be removed from rural, regional and remote shire councils that could release somewhere in the vicinity of $80.million in community, capital, infrastructure investment distributed where most needed. Many of these people have no tertiary or professional  qualifications, even in-depth expertise in their management role and meet no reasonable Key Performance Indicators like their private enterprise counterparts must do.

All shires remain, retaining their name and identity, but with access to far greater finances and managed growth, not closed like Mike Baird in NSW tried to do and amalgamated like Colin Barnett failed to do in the Perth Metropolitan Area.

The Markyt Community Scoreboard 2017 (attached) is self explanatory, especially when you do the percentage math between the York  LG performance Standard, the Industry Standard and the Industry High Standard.

It is best described as a mesmeric witches cauldron, filled with benchmark matrix with a few warts and toads tossed in.

What it appears to show is ,that in the main York, is a tumbling backwards basket-case.

In this you are defining one of the oldest, most historic, most architecturally significant towns in Australia.

I am sure that you gentlemen realize something must be done, including government assistance in destination tourism to an historic icon that is York.

Kind regards
David Taylor