Cr Doug Thompson's mysterious abacus

Fremantle market business owners have often commented that they feel that they have been thrown to the dogs by Fremantle Council. That, and a whole lot more, but I’ll use this as the milder version of the general dismay and overall frustration and disappointment repeatedly expressed.

To hear themselves referred to as ‘dislodged’ or their diabolical treatment described as ‘unintentional consequences’ is sickening and abhorrent. How can they claim the consequences were unintentional when they were made aware of them loudly and publicly right from the beginning?

When the swearing, anger, outrage and confusion subside there are always the questions: why, what’s going on? How did it happen? What don’t they get….?

Of course, there are conspiracy theories; who is in bed with…? Are they incompetent, lazy or ignorant? Is it personal? Was it deliberate?

Well, I don’t have any concrete answers myself, but like many others, I have held the belief that at some level they all know they did the wrong thing, and providing they can find a solution which saves them publicly admitting fault or being held accountable or liable they would, at the very least, try to band aid what they could.

Last months council meeting ended any delusions we might have entertained; the meetings, reports, mediation, blah, blah and blah…

I have been contacted by people who were appalled at Robert Fittock’s comment, and one person said:

…Cr Fittock of course had his turn. What a nasty piece of work he is. He has obviously forgotten he was elected to assist the people of the community, instead he relishes in demeaning and insulting the disenfranchised stallholders. He stated - the disenfranchised stallholders made their bed! I can’t remember if he actually said 'they deserve what they get, but he certainly inferred it. He was definitely out of line and the mayor should have told him to pull his head in.

However, the real knife in the heart came from Doug Thompson. Crowing like a Cock in a hen house, he delivered his facts about the 43 ‘dislodged’ businesses:

4 left before negotiations
16 Sold their business at an average $59,000.00
3 Retired
5 signed a new lease
1 on a new agreement
6 were month by month due to future relocation
7 were casual and
1 was terminated

Jamie Murdoch’s outrageous claims that the average takings per stall was $10,000 per week-end, 40,000 customers each week spend around $35 per head, average rent at $300 per week and that only one person has been evicted. Council has accepted all of this as fact and we have not only disputed this but given truer figures. Why won’t council do the numbers themselves?

The stallholders association not only counted the 43 but publicly read them all out by name. They didn’t even include the employees in that count and as that was a few months ago we could now add more names and numbers.

None of our 43 people had signed any new lease so please explain how 12 of your ‘facts’ are classified as having left the market whilst at the same time signed onto new agreements?

If Thompson asserts that he has factual knowledge of 16 people selling at an average of $59,000 then I ask him publicly to supply us with the names of those people. Also, was this ‘one termination’ (eviction) Steve, Richard, Colin or Ed?

After two public rallies; one on council steps, dozens of letters and emails from stallholders, council meetings overflowing with angry stallholders, countless media articles and the obvious vacant spaces at Fremantle markets, I can not accept Cr Thompson is that ignorant - it appears to be malicious or deliberately incompetent.

Mayor Pettitt, Cr’s Fittock and Thompson would serve the people of Freo more effectively if they were to visit the office of Adele Carles and do a thorough tally of the financial losses reported to her office and gain some insight into the trauma and heartache of their actions rather than crow out Murdoch cronyism.

Or, for that matter - read through their own transcripts!

Cr Fittock was honest enough to admit that he didnt read through all that mail but this seems to suggest that Doug Thompson hasn't seen, heard or known anything and yet he claims to understand everything.

For the latest post:
http://sonyagreen.blogspot.com

Cr Robert Fittock made sexually charged remarks

Copy of article in the Fremantle Herald by JENNY D'ANGER Sept 26th 09

Complain and keep quiet, ok

Sonya Green wont formally complain to Fremantle council about hummilitating comments made by a councillor because she doesnt want to be gagged.

Under council policy both parties are required to keep all aspects of complaints confidential "until such time as the complaint is deemed to be no longer confidential by the person recieving the complaint".

Ms Green remains angry and fears her case will simply disappear into the beauracatic ether.

"It could drag on," she said bitterly.

Cr Robert Fittock made sexually charged remarks in an email to the mayor, councillors and CEO Graeme Mackenzie in response to Ms Green's blog criticising the Fremantle Markets("Fittock under fire for sleezy email," Herald Sept 19, 2009)

At this weeks council meeting he offered a "sincere and unconditional apology".

"My misguided and regrettable attempt at humour was partly an expression of my frustration in response to such blogging," he said.

Cr Fittock said he tried to contact Ms Green to make a personal apology "but she declined to speak with me".


http://sonyagreen.blogspot.com/

Cr Fittock apologises. Local government complaints

Fremantle Council Minutes re Fittock's apology (23rd Sept o9)

Cr Robert Fittock requested the opportunity to make a statement to the Council and Members of the Public in which the Mayor accepted and the statement was as follows.

I wish to offer my sincere and unconditional apology to Sonya Green for the offensive comments made by me in an internal email to fellow Councillors. I tried, through an intermediary, to contact Ms Green to apologise in person but she declined to speak with me.

She has, however, recorded on her blog that she is deeply offended and would not accept any apology from me.

I accept that I’m not the most subtle kid on the block. From time to time I am given to impulsive comments and I know that must change. I also accept that with contentious community issues the one who raises his head above the crowd makes himself the target for those who disagree.

Personal blog attacks are new to me and who really knows if they are meant to be real, truthful, or even an attempt at humour. I struggled to genuinely deal with this.

My misguided and regrettable attempt at humour was partly an expression of my frustration in response to such blogging. However, that does not excuse the hurt and embarrassment that it has brought upon not only to the blogger in question, but also to my fellow Councillors, Council, the community and in particular, to my wife, my children,family and friends. For which I am truly sorry.

Note: Cr Robert Fittock requested that a copy of this statement be tabled in the Minutes and form part of the attachments. He also issued copies to the press.

PUBLIC QUESTION
Cr John Dowson - Through the Mayor, Cr Dowson ask two question for a response from Mr Glen Dougall, as follows: The first question is in relation to complaints against Councillors from other Councillors or from the Public. When Mrs Green complained about the e-mail that Councillor Fittock address at the beginning of the meeting, she was given advice by you and two other Councillors that complaints should go to the CEO. I would like Mr Dougall to clarify the process for complaints?

Summary of Response from Glen Dougall, Director Corporate Services
In relation to the first question, if a member of the public wants to make a complaint against an Elected Member, there is two ways to do that. One is through the City of Fremantle Code of Conduct which requires that to be done through myself as the complaints officer and will then be passed onto an assessment panel, which under the Code of Conduct are the Mayor and Deputy Mayor and Cr Thompson is a 3rd party just in case the complaint is against the Mayor or Deputy Mayor. The second way to do that is to make a complaint under the Rules of Conduct Regulations under the Local Government Act, which can also be made through myself and then passed onto the Department of Local Government.

Cr Donna Haney - Asked a question for clarification as follows: The ability of a member of public to make a complaint that's heard under the Rules of Conduct Regulations by thedepartment's panel. But I understood that because our Standing Orders are not a Local Law that that panel has no jurisdiction to hear complaints in that manner.

Summary of Response from Graeme Mackenzie, Chief Executive Officer
No the standards panel certainly does have jurisdiction. The Rules of Conduct is a piece of legislation, our Standing Orders are not a Local Law that is correct, our Code of Conduct has no force of law either it's a voluntary code, all be it that the Council's are required by law to have a Code of Conduct, there is no repercussion for a breech of the Code of Conduct other then an internal breech and perhaps a censure motion or something to that affect may occur if an Elected Member has deemed to have acted inappropriate. The Rule of Conduct are quite different, the Rules of Conduct lay down seven areas where a Councillor can breech the Rules of Conduct and if he or she does so and a complaint is made and an Elected Member has been found to be guilty of that, by the Standards Panel, they can issue a great raft of remedies from an apology right up unto a sacking.


http://sonyagreen.blogspot.com/