Council and other stuff
Sue Brooks October 1st, 2009
Firstly it’s great to have my PC back after 3 days of not having it. It caught a virus and to cut a long story shot I ended up spending the bucks and having it professionally cleaned up. Thank you to Tony and the team from TTECS. It is very frustrating not being online but then I did survive OK and found I caught up with Council work more easily. I determined personal emails, web site comments etc could wait for the three days. So while I do endeavour to respond to everyone promptly sometimes things do crop up in our lives that take precedence or are unavoidable and correspondence just takes a bit longer.
The Chamber of Commerce Brekky in the Bay on Wednesday morning was well received and well covered in the Chronicle. I think both Daniel Poacher (UDIA) and David King (Council) did a good job of expressing their representative view points. I hope that the audience came away with a better appreciation of the issues impacting on both development and Council and that by working co-operatively together we can do what is best for our community. As a Councillor it is a constant challenge to look at all sides of an issue and to try and find solutions and actions that are in the best interests of our wider community and not just geared to satisfy one particular interest group at the expense of the greater community. (PS Daniel I do understand the importance of the construction industry and its relationship to the economy. Please remember I am part owner of a retail business)
This morning I opened the paper and was dismayed to see a story written by Toni McRae reporting on what a male Councillor had told her. I suppose every classroom of kids contains diversity. There will always be a smattering of individuals with differing levels of intelligence, different personalities, different interests and different understandings of their responsibilities in relation to honesty, truthfulness and pride in their class or school. It appears to me that this behaviour also translates to every group of adults whether they be in the business and private sector or working for the community within government. Some people tend to mature or develop a sense of responsibility more quickly than others and some people never seem to mature at all.
So it goes without saying that I am disappointed to read comments attributed to one of my male colleagues. I believe if an elected member wants to speak to the media that they should do so without hiding behind the veil of anonymity. If we have something of value to say we should say it publicly. I do not want to add more fuel to the fire but I simply wish to say I disagree with the comments as reportedly made by a colleague.
And on a happier note. Both puppies Ellie and Becki are growing and keeping us on our toes with their energy levels. It is refreshing to see them play with each other and sleep with each other. They enjoy each other tremendously so I think getting two puppies was a good idea.
The Guinea’s are revolting though. It seems that with lust and love in the air the girls have decided to nest or find some peace outside our backyard. It looks like the reputation of Guinea’s being hard to house is true and the neighbours may have some new visitors it seems. Hopefully they will all settle down and the street will adapt to the rather loud calling and crying while Spring is in the air!
Lastly we have another dead turtle on the beach. A large one with a huge gash in its shell. It does look like a boat strike although I can’t tell if that was the cause of death or not. Please ring the stranding hotline if you find turtles etc washed up on the beach dead or alive. The DERM staff do a great job of tracking them. Here is the info on their web site.
What to do if you find a stranded marine animal
If you find a sick or dead turtle, dugong, dolphin or whale, please phone our stranding hotline 1300 130 372 with details of location, what animal it is (if known), and whether it is dead or alive. If conditions are suitable, QPWS staff will go to the site and collect information about the dead or stranded wildlife. QPWS or the local council usually arrange for the animal’s rehabilitation or disposal of the carcass.
Cheers, Sue
dead turtle
dead turtle
- Council related issues
- Comments(3)
Sue
I have just re-read the article you refer to and the only thing I can fault is the fact the councillor who I can only assume is Cr Dalgleish should have put his name to his comments.
These allegations go back a very long way and until council gets to the root of the problem it will always have these operational issues.
These types of problems are like a disease, creeping slowly through the body of an organisation until a point where the organisation is no longer able to capable undertake its regular daily function.
Sue, please ask yourself why there is a difference of opinion, who are you listening to and are they really being honest with you?
I understand you prefer to follow the ‘rules’ more closely than some others and this can potentially cause problems also. If you follow the ‘chain of command’ ie. all dealings with council staff goes through the Directors / CEO and the problem lies within that level then of course you will get told ‘everything is fine’.
So bring on more investigative reporting by the Chronicle, bring on more ‘leaked’ opinions and definitely bring on an independent investigation into the bullying allegations. It can only be a good thing!
Sue,
Like Ben I have read and re-read the article. Prior to and after reading your post.
I won’t assume it’s David, what I will say is that who ever it is, is as weak as piss.
Councillors are elected to look after the town/city and it’s residents needs, any
councillor who will not make a stand is not worth having.
As I have no accurate knowledge of the events and as bullying has many facets
and degrees, it is hard to comment. But I think it is a fact of life many council
workers will have been shocked out of their complacency and rut like life style.
As you know, they say a new broom sweeps clean, some of those “good old boys”
just don’t know what’s hit them and it must be a shock.
What does cause me some concern, is that with ten councillors and a mayor,
no one seems to have known there were any problems !!! Having worked for
large organisations as both a worker and a boss, I know any one with their ear
to the ground must have a feel for what’s taking place. If they don’t they are in
the wrong job. Sad to say, I think some councillors are.
The ratepayers of this region have a right to know what is going on, after all
we are paying the tab. The old saying that where there is smoke, there is fire,
is very true. So I ask, how could it have been aloud to get to this stage?
Sadman
I detest censoring comment but when comment is directed at individuals the job is even harder to do. I suppose the difference on a blog such as this is putting in print what people are saying publicly not privately.
With respect to my colleagues I am uncomfortable having them named via your comments Ben but also uncomfortable editing out the names. The standard I aspire to is that unless the comment adds something new to a debate and isn’t a personal attack on someone it is fair to publish it. However I am also keen to allow people to express their opinions. Where to draw the line? I’m keen to hear your views on this.
So in response… I am very aware that the media are very selective in what they publish and that everything published via the media is ‘censored’ or ‘edited’ or otherwise manipulated so that very few stories truly represent an entirely accurate expression of everything that someone wants to say.
The Chronicle is attempting to print both sides of contentious stories so that is a good thing. I suppose however that printing comments from a Councillor who chooses to remain anonymous is, in my opinion, in poor taste at every level. I agree that a Councillor as a public figure should always be prepared to put their name to anything that they say ‘on the record’. While elected members have a right to a private life and a private opinion that opinion should remain private or be quoted as a private opinion.
I have been aware since day 1 of amalgamation of some staff unrest and dissatisfaction. There has also been, at times, elected member unrest and dissatisfaction. After all wouldn’t it be strange if there was no dissatisfaction? Isn’t the whole world made up of people that have to, at times, compromise their wants and wishes and put up with stuff that they don’t like?
What I would also say prior to amalgamation there was the same situation. I previously worked at USQ and staff there were also not always happy with decisions made at headquarters in Toowoomba. In other words staff in a large organisation will not all be happy all of the time.
I believe that the Council CEO is entirely responsible for staff related issues. Councillors are involved with the selection of the CEO and possibly the next line down of Directors.
Not all staff will be happy at any one time nor will all elected members be happy at any one time. In other words we work in a vast complex organisation where decisions and personalities are not always to our personal liking.
Prior to moving to Hervey Bay I had the displeasure of working under a female boss who drove me to resign my job. No matter what the organisation did in terms of mediation etc it failed to resolve the basic issues between her style of management, her personality and my own. I left and she stayed. The situation had a very negative impact on my health at the time.
I believe that our senior staff at Council are committed to setting a high standard of performance and customer service. We are also in a time of change and also have many staff at management level that, due to amalgamation, don’t have the opportunity to work at the level that they may have had previously. For example …. as this is not a real scenario. If there were 4 Library Managers of 4 Libraries prior to amalgamtion it is impossible to run a regional Library service with 4 bosses after amalgamation. So what happens? Council has to appoint a new ‘boss’ Library Manager and if all the Managers prior to amalgamtion want the job there is bound to be disapointment. Council is still travelling down this pathway.
As an elected member I do try very hard to follow the rules. I understand my responsibilities under the LGA and take them seriously. I actually swore an oath to do so! I communicate with the Mayor and with the Directors and with the CEO regularly. I am also in constant communication with staff at all levels of the organisation via feedback I receive from Managers in response to community related queries. I have never been directed ‘not to talk to staff’. What I do know is that I must never direct staff and I take care to ensure that I don’t direct staff.
I am proud to be part of an organisation that is constantly questioning and examining how it performs and is trying very, very hard to provide a timely, responsive and financially responsible service to our community. I believe there is always room for improvement and that at times we don’t always ‘get it right’. I do recall the saying ‘no pain no gain.’ Maybe there is a lot of truth in that. But how about we stick to real issues and strive to act in a mature fashion and deal with realities not suppositions.