MAY 8, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Calls for council monitor Three Whittlesea councillors are pushing for a municipal monitor to be appointed to oversee the council for the next 18 months. Councillors Ricky Kirkham, Alahna Desiato and Caz Monteleone will use a special council meeting tonight to push for a monitor to be appointed by Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz to review governance and the council’s decision-making. Their motion to the meeting claims the council is at risk of becoming increasingly dysfunctional and unworkable. Cr Kirkham said he was concerned the council was making “poor decisions”. “There is a culture of censorship where poor decisions are rammed through,” he said. “Confidence needs to be restored to give ratepayers faith council is acting in their best interests.” Cr Desiato said appointing a monitor was the council’s only option. “I feel voiceless and unable to exercise my elected responsibilities,” she said. The push to appoint a monitor follows Cr Kirkham’s calls for the council to be replaced with an administrator if its behaviour doesn’t improve. Mayor Kris Pavlidis has welcomed the request, saying she has become increasingly concerned at the conduct of some councillors. “The City of Whittlesea is at an exciting stage of growth and prosperity and requires mature, responsible and transparent decision-makers around the table, ” she said. “Council meetings need to be a place of robust, intelligent
debate and importantly a place of decorum. This is what our community expects and deserves.” Councillors Kirkham, Desiato and Monteleone were absent from last Tuesday’s council meeting, along with councillors Norm Kelly and Mary Lalios. As reported by Star Weekly, Cr Lalios has taken leave from council. It is unclear when she will return. The meeting heard that councillors
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Poor decisions are rammed through
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- Ricky Kirkham
Lalios, Desiato and Monteleone had sent their apologies for being absent. However the six councillors who attended the meeting – Kris Pavlidis, Lawrie Cox, Sam Alessi, Emilia Lisa Sterjova, Tom Joseph and Stevan Kozmevski – refused to accept their apologies. Cr Cox asked chief executive Simon Overland to explain why Cr Lalios had missed two council meetings when the council had not received a request for leave from her. Mr Overland said Cr Lalios’ absence related to a confidential matter, adding that he believed she was unwell. Cr Sam Alessi said the absent councillors were taking their councillor allowance “under false pretences”. “This is a really sad night. “In the 20 years I have been in local government, this hasn’t happened,” he said.
(Marco De Luca)
By Laura Michell
Double delight for Mother’s Day Mums across Whittlesea and Hume will be feeling the love on Sunday for Mother’s Day. Among those mothers being celebrated will be Lisa Trkulja, whose Mother’s Day will be twice as nice following the birth of her second child, Dejan. Dejan was born at the Northern Hospital on May 1 and will share his birthday with his mum. According to Northern Health data, 909 babies were born at the Northern Hospital in the first three months of this year. Laura Michell
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