Commissioner James Best takes up office
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Commissioner James Best |
“My appointment is a circuit breaker designed to re-establish the relationship and trust between the Council, the Shire and the community.
Mr Best said while some might find it shocking that the Council has been suspended and others upset that the Local Government Minister has taken this action, the situation presents an opportunity to make a fresh start and draw a line on the past challenges.
“During the next six months I hope the Shire and suspended council can work on the training and development goals set by the Minister to be an effective council and be ready for their re-instatement in July 2015.
“My approach for the next six months will be to facilitate a community capacity building program to create a brighter future together, and more will be explained shortly.
It is important to emphasize the Shire will continue operating as normal, all projects and programs will be maintained as scheduled and budgeted.
Committees of Council will continue as advisory groups without Councillor involvement while they are suspended.
“I am looking forward to meeting people and working with the community to build a brighter future for York.
Mr Best is making himself fully available, he is keen to meet with residents and community groups and can be contacted on 0419 921 516
James Best
Commissioner
York Shire Council
They don't get it, do they? Overwhelmingly, the community had confidence in Cr Reid and his supporters on Council. Most of us had no confidence in 'the old guard', the very people who got into the Minister's ear, along with a couple of disgruntled CEOs, and egged him on to start the process of suspension.
ReplyDeleteThe Minister is now under suspicion of responding to an SOS from his political mates. Those are people who got starring roles in the Fitz Gerald Report, and did their best to suppress it.
There are some among us who are going to make damned sure that the issues raised in the report are not allowed to die.
We know there are individuals in the DLGC who have something to hide and have made common cause with the old guard and former CEO Hooper, who caused so much hurt and misery to so many good citizens of York.
In Mr Best's endeavours to 'break the circuit', I hope he remembers that the community comes first, then our elected representatives. With all due respect to 'the Shire', by which I suppose he means council employees, he and they should remember that they come a distant last. They are not elected. They are paid to serve the community. The community does not exist to serve them.
I don't say this to slight shire officials, some of whom I have met and liked. The problem seems always to have been with senior employees, especially at the higher levels. No more tyrannical CEOs!
When are we going to have fresh elections to replace Tony Boyle and Mark Duperouzel?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of training some councillors, then taking some new, untrained councillors when the Council's suspension ends?
I hope the training really is training, not merely indoctrination in the ways and expectations of an incompetent and possibly corrupt department.
I agree James. It is abundantly clear no one in the DLG (or Ministers office) thought through the consequences of the decision to stand down and 're-train' (or re-programme?) our current Council.
DeleteIn October we will have a further 3 untrained councillors. What then, will the DLG stomp all over us again and suspend that council?
I simply do not believe the reasons given for the turmoil created by the DLG.
Matthew Reid was the most popular choice ever elected in York's history, he owns and operates two huge (and very successful) businesses apart from the other work he does with examinations etc. - He knows more about dealing with people than any one we have ever had on Council.
The trouble was Matthew was dealing with ignorant, rude, and often offensive people who were dictating and bullying innocent people in York. Those people simply did not want change, because they prefer to operate as dictators within chaos. Is that what the re- programming is all about? Are they going to attempt to make Matthew into one of 'their own'.
I think the DLG recognised Matthew was honest, this in itself made him a target, just like those in York who were seeking the truth and demanding an acceptable standard of behaviour from those who claimed to be representing the community.
Well said Vic Tory.
DeleteCouncillors and Staff (inc. ex ceo) who have done wrong by the people will answer for what they did. It may take some time but it will happen. The truth always bubbles to the surface.
.
Yes, absolutely! Council, Shire as a whole, are there to serve the community and see to the welfare — in the widest sense of the word — of the whole. Indeed, the community does not exist to serve them. Yes, we should be able to respect them, but they need to treat us with equal respect. Our faith in those reported in The Report who broke faith with their duty of care to us and our fellows was broken — in some cases over and over again. They are going to have to work hard to regain our trust. The remainder who showed more genuine care and/or didn't treat us with disrespect need our support and the chance to continue on with integrity.
ReplyDeleteAlso what you say about potential untrained councillors later being added to those who will have undergone training or indoctrination (whichever it is) would certainly lead to mismatch and more divisions, conflict, and confusion.
As to the 'training', it remains to be seen. I personally am skeptical about airy fairy language we have already seen in Mr. Best's biog on http://www.integral.org.au/people/james-best
Heaven forbid that the training is based on cliché and beaurocracy-speak! It would make me sick, for one. It would turn me off altogether. Never did like jargon in any field of endeavour.
And no training in adapting to corruption, please!
Actually the administration should treat us with greater respect, because we, the community, provide its members with a livelihood.
DeleteSo should the councillors, because we provide them with the opportunity to stand out among their fellow citizens. One of the things that impressed me about Cr Reid was his genuine care and concern for the welfare, interests and opinions of our community.
As for the Minister and his departmental hobgoblins, they should be on their knees before us begging forgiveness for the insult they have inflicted on a good man and the community that chose him to represent and lead them. Arrogant sods, pardon my Hittite.
Absolutely no mention of administration, bad sign!
ReplyDeleteCommunity - Administration - Council.
Community always comes first JB, that's were its all gone wrong historically. It won't take long for the community to sniff out a shithouse rat!
Good luck JB
Mr Best says the Shire, under his rule, 'will continue operating as normal'.
DeleteIf by 'as normal' he means 'as during the old regime', let's hope to heaven he's mistaken.
Well if he intends to operate as normal (as we have become accustomed to) - he is in for a bloody big shock.
DeleteMr. Best is going to get a big shock when he realised the Senior Administration Staff are not 'fully trained' (qualified?)
DeleteI like the description 'shit house rat", seems particularly apt. The insincere cheesy Colgate smile gives him away.
DeleteTo paraphrase Noel Coward, don't let's be beastly to Mr Best. I have a funny feeling that when he took on the job of commissioner he had no real idea of how strongly the York community supports Matthew Reid and despises the actions of the Minister and his sinister entourage. Poor fellow, he's scored a tough assignment.
DeleteOur community has ample capacity, Mr Best. If the community hadn't been so vigorously stomped on for several years, by people whose job was to represent and serve it, York would now be a very vibrant place instead of a town in decline. Cr Reid had a clear view of what needed to be done. My advice is, seek his advice, and help him give us back our town and shire. No strategic facilitation necessary - hard work and common sense are all that's required.
Yep. Hard work and common sense.
DeleteI agree the administration need training. The tourist centre have no one with any sort of tourism basic training for instance. Another instance is HR with Masuk attempting to sucker the successful edo candidate into starting without a phone,computer,car,budget or list of things to do. Please train the admin minister or nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteYou can have an excellent councillor like Matthew but he's only able to deliver with the support of admin.
Good point. That's why public question time should not exclude questions about shire officials' performance of their duties. It's also why councillors should keep a close eye on paid officials and not identify with and try to protect them from scrutiny as in the past.
DeleteThat's not an excuse for being rude and unpleasant to administration staff. Our 'strategy' should be to congratulate those who do well and deal politely with those who under-perform, helping them to lift their game. As a community, we should encourage staff to get some training and qualifications apposite to the jobs they do. (Oh dear, I nearly typed 'appropriate', wash your mouth out James).
Good heavens James, you very nearly slipped up and used some of that foreign public service speak!
DeleteMatthew may be a good councillor, however, he needs to remember Council as a body is empowered to set the Policy and Direction of the Shire. Unfortunately, the LG Act does not allow him to interfere in the running of the administration. That is the role of the CEO. So the answer is get a decent CEO that will run the administration properly in conjunction with Council. Before you have ago at me, you should probably lobby the Minister to have the Act changed to allow people like Matthew to right the ship.....
DeleteAll the more reason for the community to scrutinise the actions of the CEO and the administration generally and to complain at Council meanings and to individual councillors when they do the wrong thing. Yes, a decent CEO - an honest person with integrity - is what York needs, to work alongside councillors of integrity; so we should choose our representatives with great care, and they should be careful whom they appoint to the top job in the administration.
DeleteI agree with Tolduso, Minister Simpson has no idea of what an unqualified 'circus' we have in the York Administration. They are known as 'Ray Hoopers untouchables'.
ReplyDeleteWe did not need the Council suspended, we needed a complete financial audit and a review of ALL staff in the Admin.
Mr Best said ............the situation presents an opportunity to make a fresh start and draw a line on the past challenges.
ReplyDeleteWell Mr Best, until past issues are resolved, I hope you have plenty of lead in your pencil!
What you non-believers don't appreciate is James the Best is your saviour. He will deliver us from evil while dishing out bread, maybe even a swig of Chianti or two.
ReplyDeleteIn a recent scripture from James the Best, he will ;
Allow York's residents and the fruits of their loins, to be aware of their future and
create the ability for you to work through the inevitable shit-fights together.
It was a short scripture!
All will become apparent in the near future.
Friends of mine thought they were very special when James Best said they were on the top of his list of people to meet with until we found out he told others the same.
DeleteI am a little miffed I must say - I checked the mail box and I have not received an invitation, so I guess I am not on the top of that list either.
DeleteSo Mr. Best has been provided with 'goals' by the Minister has he?
I expect one of the goals is to leave all those who were persecuted by Boyle Hooper and ex ceo on the other side of the line he has drawn, in the hope it will all go away.
Political Rule No. 1. Ignore the problems (created by Boyle, Hooper and the ex ceo) long enough they will magically disappear.
I need to have a bit of a say here.
DeleteWith respect, we did not actually need a circuit breaker Mr. Best.
York was doing just fine with young Matthew Reid at the helm together with Ms. Smythe and Mr. Wallace. For the first time in about 8 years York actually had a bloody good council - this lot were just starting to clean up all the crap.
Ray didn't like what was happening, so he spat the dummy and went off bawling to the Minister and the DLGov. Of course these people found it pretty embarrassing seeing this old man crying. They sat him down, gave him a hanky and Ms. Law got to work with her creative writing skills to fabricate trumped up charges against our young Matthew.
If Minister Simpson had been a decent bloke, he would have come to York and checked out the facts for himself.
I can tell you I won't be voting for the Libs again after this.
The Libs are losing my vote and that of all my family and friends too. The Nats have been weak on this issue too.
DeleteMr Best is Mr Simpson's best man and was no doubt recommended by the DLGC. Handpicked to bury the past and protect the Minister and the department. But hang on, he is the "council" and his allegiance must be to the residents of York. Surely.
ReplyDeleteCommissioner Best can therefore explain the inexplicable - why was the current council suspended but all the previous complaints ignored until the DLG "brains trust" developed the "timeline" policy. That conveniently simply ignored all the serious complaints and allows them to develop their own petty and untrue issues to justify the suspension of the council.
Ok Mr. Best, you have given us your email address and a mobile contact.
ReplyDeleteNot every one in the York community can afford to phone you on your mobile phone.
How bout a land line number?
The elderly don't like talking on mobile phones much so a landline number would be a lot better.
DeleteMind you Mr. Best won't want to talk to me - I am on the wrong side of that line.
Blog link sent o over 300 media contacts today
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant move - sincere thanks to who ever you are.
DeleteWe only need one media outlet to realise this will be a huge story for them and the proverbial will hit the fan.
Roy Scott, doesn't get mentioned much considering the w*^#*r was Boyle's partner in crime for years. Didn't take long for him to skip town...???
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Roy Scotts part in what happened to people in York will be well remembered as - Mr. Quiet White Ant.
DeleteHe knowingly took part in traumatising those targeted.He was Tony's right hand man when the promises were made to 'get rid' of the Hoopers. Bet Pat Hooper did not know that.
Roy even wrote a letter (as an ex cop) to the Judge pleading for a non custodial sentence for Kate Thief Watts. Believe the Judge was not impressed with the letter.
By the way, I have it in good authority Scott asked Michael Watts to appraise their home for sale. Wattsie had a buyer the next day for him, all done and dusted. No advertising required. How fortunate was that. By the way, this was the same week SITA were seeking a home for their Manager. Watts just happens to be the Agent handling the sale of 'the farm' to SITA. Co-incidence or what?
No, Scottie will be remembered as one of the dark team.
James, I promise you the issues will remain.
ReplyDeleteYou go and tell your master your going need more time.
If you think this position will advance your political career, think again.
Your buddies going to be making tea for the rest of his political career.
Your a pretty boy, they might find a different job for you.XXX