OPINION: Council boss deserves statue if CBD can prosper

Greg Chemello has already shown an unflinching approach to the big decisions.

Ipswich City Council Administrator Greg Chemello. Picture: Cordell Richardson

AFTER almost a decade, the controversial Ipswich City Council-owned company, Ipswich City Properties, will be no more.

In nine years the state of the CBD, the very place ICP was tasked with improving, has deteriorated.

Interim administrator Greg Chemello and his five-person advisory panel have said enough is enough - the council will take the mall development back under its own roof.

Whether this is the correct move remains to be seen.

The lack of CBD progress in the past decade and the boys' club mentality of some of its directors is a valid reason to wind-up the company in itself.

There is a risk the closure will be a costly egg unscrambling.

After missing millions of dollars in one decade, ratepayers should not have to fork out more pointless cash.

As you will read in the QT tomorrow, executives of Riverlink Shopping Centre are united and driven to progress the product.

They view the council's CBD retail component as competition and will invest stacks of cash to outperform it.

Mr Chemello has already shown an unflinching approach to the big decisions.

If the CBD prospers before he leaves in 2020, there may be an argument for a statue.