Onkaparinga councillor Brian Nankivell quits, accuses council of financial mismanagement

AN Onkaparinga councillor has quit accusing the council of financial mismanagement, saying it is like the Titanic waiting to hit an iceberg.

Brian Nankivell has compared Onkaparinga Council to the sinking Titanic and accused it of financial mismanagement.

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AN Onkaparinga councillor has quit his position in protest at how he believes ratepayers’ money is being wasted, saying the council is like the Titanic waiting to hit an iceberg.

Brian Nankivell’s resignation comes as Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg confirms she will stand for a fourth term, and is gathering a leadership team to guide her in the lead-up to the November local government elections.

Mr Nankivell, who joined the council in 2014, resigned last Wednesday, saying he “no longer had the strength” to fight the council’s alleged financial mismanagement.

He was most frustrated at the council’s $74 million debt and its 20-year financial plan, which is based on 4.3 per cent annual rate increases.

“I feel like the purser on the Titanic — my job is to care for the passengers, they are the ratepayers,” Mr Nankivell, who is a financial planning consultant, said.

“I can see the icebergs — the financial challenges — and I am trying to tell people that they are coming ahead, but I am not the captain or navigator.

“But how do I influence them to change direction, or do I (leave) the ship?

“I have left the ship to get rescue teams … we need a new crew for the ship.”

Mr Nankivell, who is a financial planning consultant, quit less than 24 hours after an elected-member workshop into the council’s Long Term Financial Plan.

Brian Nankivell has quit Onkaparinga Council.

He said he raised concerns at the meeting, but felt they were largely ignored.

Mr Nankivell was highly critical, saying he found the culture and lack of financial knowledge among some elected members difficult to manage.

“They are probably daunted on balancing a household budget, let alone a $160 million budget,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the symptoms of poor financial management, weak governance and an unhealthy culture are not improving.

“The organisation is fractured, and a handful of good people are not going to succeed in fixing it.”

Mr Nankivell said he had won a “few skirmishes” during his time on council, but not the war on improving how it spends, and saves, ratepayers’ money.

He said the November council election was a chance for residents to consider what skills and qualities were going to be needed and elect people who were “equipped to do the job”.

His resignation comes after more than year of infighting among elected members, particularly over the size of the council, which will be cut from 20 to 12 at the next election.

In February last year, the council was thrust into the spotlight after it was revealed it paid chief executive Mark Dowd’s $6800 joining fee at Kooyonga Golf Club.

And tensions flared last month when the council refused to back Ms Rosenberg’s nomination for the Local Government Association’s Joy Baluch leadership award.

Ms Rosenberg said she respected Mr Nankivell’s determination to contribute to the council’s financial direction, but did not believe the council was en route to hit a financial iceberg.

She did, however, agree that the culture in the chamber was “unhealthy”.

“I can’t change people, it is up to individuals to change their behaviour, it cannot be forced upon them,” Ms Rosenberg said.

She said the onus was on elected members to educate themselves to make informed decisions.

“A lot of people get on to council because they are more interested in getting the footpaths fixed or getting a playground built,” Ms Rosenberg said.

“Unless you have been along the council journey for a while, when you come in brand new (finance) is absolutely daunting, there is no doubt about that.

“But it is each councillor’s responsibility … to either make sure of what the answer is or do their own due diligence.

“If you need training, you need to get training.”

Onkaparinga Council has not responded to the Southern Times Messenger’s requests for comment.