Clarence Valley News

Valley’s mayoral candidates keep heads down

Published

3 years ago

5 January 2022

JeffG

Clarence Valley Council mayoral candidates keep heads down

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Valley’s mayoral candidates keep heads down

TIM HOWARD

The resignations of five councillors and a general manager plus the election of six new councillors at the December 4 local government elections has created a rare opportunity for Clarence Valley Council.
Electors sprung a minor surprise at the ballot box, electing six new councillors, although two of them, Ian Tiley and Bill Day, are hugely experienced at local government level.
But the departure of what some ratepayers bizarrely termed the “Grafton mafia”: Mayor Jim Simmons, his deputy Jason Kingsley and Crs Richie Williamson, Andrew Baker and Arthur Lysaught (only two are from Grafton) and the resignation of general manager Ashley Lindsay has opened up opportunities in both the elected and executive branches of the council.
With six newbies on the council the accepted wisdom is former Clarence Valley mayor Ian Tiley would be a shoe-in for the top job.
In fact, Greens councillor Greg Clancy, who finished fourth on the popular vote tally, made no secret he and Mr Tiley would run on a Tiley/Clancy ticket for mayor and deputy.
But other councillors have harboured mayoral ambitions.
Karen Toms has stood for the role of mayor or deputy several times without success.
The departure of five councillors who often stood against her could give her the confidence to try again.
Acting against her is the knowledge she was the last councillor elected, meaning in the public eye, she is the least popular member of the council.
Debrah Novak been one of the most vocal and visible councillors since she was elected in 2016.
She has made involvement in the community her watchword and she is an effective communicator in traditional and social media.
Following an election where voters showed they valued a high level of community mindedness, Ms Novak has every right to put herself forward as a candidate for mayor.
The most popular vote winner, Grafton businessman Jeff Smith, has ruled out a run for mayor, but given the strength of his vote, the electorate has clear expectations of him taking a leading role.
Maybe a term as deputy mayor in this shortened term (two years and nine months), would give Mr Smith enough of a taste of life at the top to take tilt at the top job next time.
The position of general manager is even more interesting than the hunt for a new mayor.
A new council has free rein to choose its general manager should it want to and with the departure of Mr Lindsay there has been moves for a change.
Late last year the council voted to appoint the council’s governance director Laura Black as acting general manager while Mr Lindsay completes his leave period and the council decides who it wants in the top job.
But the 5-4 vote for Ms Black was even shakier than it looked. The five councillors who backed her as acting GM were the same five who were not standing for re-election.
During debate on the matter councillors argued it could overturn her appointment in the new year and bring in outside expertise.
In addition there were some queries about Ms Black’s performance as acting general manager while Mr Lindsay was on sick leave in the middle of the year.
She made decisions to refuse some ratepayers access to information which attracted censure from the Information Privacy Commissioner and on a related matter banned council contact with the same ratepayers, which the NSW Ombudsman said did not follow council procedure.
On his return from sick leave Mr Lindsay said he could offer no explanation for Ms Black’s actions in refusing GIPA access and apologised to them for the council’s actions.
But he did support Ms Black’s decision to ban staff contact with the ratepayers because of their unreasonable contact, despite the statement from the Ombudsman’s office.
He also believed the council should continue with Ms Black in the acting GM role because she was across a number of vital projects the council was on a tight deadline to finish.
Ms Black’s performance was also questioned over the late presentation of the 2020-21 annual report, which turned up as a late item of business at the extraordinary council meeting on December 3, the day before the election.
It was revealed there had been errors in the initial report and their had been administrative mistakes made while correcting these errors.
While Ms Black’s handling of these matter was not faulted, her position as a the director of governance generates an expectation she has intimate knowledge in these areas.
These should be the type of issues the new council considers when it hires the GM it wants.

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Resident reveals ‘errors’ in Clarence Valley council’s annual report

Clarence Valley News

Community group’s council audit delayed

Published

3 days ago

24 July 2024

Liam

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Community group’s council audit delayed

By Tim Howard

A community group supposedly the target of a Clarence Valley Council audit in February 2024 over the cost of its interactions with council has pointed out the audit has not been completed. The General Manager, Laura Black commented, “I anticipate it will take a couple of months.”

The secretary of Yamba Community Action Network (YambaCAN), Lynne Cairns, said this week’s council business paper included a report, Council Meeting Checklist – update on actions taken.

The report revealed staff had not completed the action, the result of a council resolution at the February 2024 council meeting.

“On page 175 of the business paper there is a note next to the item,” Ms Cairns said.

“It reads: ‘Staff responsible for collating information have been diverted to prepare and respond to legal action taken against council by an executive member of YambaCan’.”

Ms Cairns said this was incorrect as no-one on the YambaCAN executive had taken legal action against the council.

She was aware of some matters concerning the council a member of YambaCAN had taken to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“These matters were not matters concerning YambaCAN and the member who brought them was not acting for YambaCAN,” Ms Cairns said.

“I’m concerned this is some disinformation that somehow YambaCAN is responsible for delaying council’s investigation of its actions.

“YambaCAN is requesting an apology from council for the incorrect information in the business paper.”

The resolution read: that the general manager advises, by way of a report the:

1. allocation of resources required to respond to GIPAs submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

2. allocation of resources required to respond to RFI (Request for Information) submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

3. any cost implications of delays to delivering the Yamba Community Precinct project since January 2022.

The matter was passed 5-4, but debate was fiery.

Cr Karen Toms brought it as a notice of motion to alert the public to the costs the group’s GIPA requests and requests for information were incurring.

But other councillors said these costs were part of council operating openly and transparently.

Cr Greg Clancy was concerned the motion focused on just one group when council records showed it was responsible for a fraction of the requests.

“As seen in the listing of GIPA applications on council’s website, there are 22 GIPA applications and only six of these refer to YambaCAN,” he told the February meeting.

He also revealed YambaCAN had lodged a request for information, however were informed that there were 290 requests for information previously lodged by others that were waiting to be processed.

Ms Cairns was concerned that with the council going into caretaker mode on August 16, ahead of the September local government elections, council could not effectively decide on the matter.

There will be report on the outcome of this matter and other matters at council in next week’s edition of The Northern Rivers Times.

For more Yamba news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

Clarence Valley Country Muster

Published

1 week ago

17 July 2024

Liam

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Clarence Valley Country Muster

If you are missing the country sounds from Tamworth, fret not, as the Clarence Valley Country Muster is just around the corner.

Expanded from two days to four, the event will start on July 25^th and go to July 28^th at 11 Coulters Lane, Ulmarra, near Grafton.

You will enjoy artists such as Jade Hurley, John, Lloyd, Jack Watson, Lindsay Waddington and Jamie Davis.

Special guest artists, Paul Ricketts, Winner of the Thornton Young Award and Nay McAplin, Winner of the Walk Ups in July, will also make an appearance.

Your comperes for the main stage will be Terry Gordon OAM and Ken ‘Chainsaw’ Lindsay.

And bring those nerves with you, as from 10.30am on Thursday, aspiring artists can take their turn on the microphone, with John Lloyd hosting the walk-ups.

All acts will be vying for a gig at next July’s event.

Now is the time to grab a group of friends or family members and book your spot by heading to their website www.cvcmuster.com.au or calling Wendy Gordon on 0432 741947.

Gates open for early arrival at the muster site on Tuesday, July 23.

For $120 per person, you can enjoy a full week of camping, camaraderie and entertainment at one of the best value-for-money festivals in the Clarence Valley.

Check out is Tuesday, July 30.

If you have a fire pit, bring it along as wood will be supplied.

There will be songs around the campfire, best dressed Christmas and party games and a big finale on the Sunday.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

Published

4 weeks ago

27 June 2024

Liam

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NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

The NSW Labor Government’s 18 June Budget does nothing to alleviate the growing cost of living problems in the Richmond and Clarence Valleys, although there is some good news for the region, according to Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson.

“Everywhere I go, every local I talk to, they all say the same thing: we’re struggling with rising costs – why isn’t the Government helping?” Mr Williamson said.

Mr Williamson said that he was all for working cooperatively with the Government, but there was mounting evidence Sydney Labor is “out of town, out of touch and the budget is out of control”.

“Calls to reinstate the $250 fuel card for regional seniors, students and apprentices have fallen on deaf ears, but Sydney seniors now enjoy $2-a-day Gold Passes on Sydney’s massive and massively subsidised public transport system as well as toll relief for Sydneysiders,” Mr Williamson said.

“Calls to save the Ulmarra ferry from Labor’s axe met a similar fate, at the same time as Labor is buying a fleet of new ferries for Sydney and took over another Sydney ferry service that has lower patronage than Ulmarra to Southgate.”

Mr Williamson did acknowledge the Government’s ongoing funding of the previous Liberals and Nationals Government’s Grafton Base Hospital rebuild, the allocation of $6.2m in the fight against White Spot disease in local rivers as well as a “welcome” $90m boost for the Resilient Homes Program, following the 2022 floods.

“These are crumbs compared to what Labor is lavishing on its Sydney heartland,” Mr Williamson cautioned.

“The Richmond and Clarence Valleys provide the timber for Sydney homes, the beef for Sydney dinners as well as the sugar and milk for Sydney cappuccinos.

“That needs to be acknowledged and we deserve our fair share,” Mr Williamson concluded.”

For more Richmond Valley news, click here.

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