Liberal hits back at claims he is Sydney’s laziest councillor
IS this the laziest councillor in Sydney? That’s the question being asked about Fairfield’s Joe Molluso, whose lack of attendance at council meetings and events has seen him labelled “No-show” Joe.
NSW
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HE is the councillor dubbed “no-show” Joe by his fellow councillors, who are asking if there is any other local politician with a worse record of attendance in Sydney.
Now Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone is threatening to cut Mr Molluso’s $29,000 salary if he doesn’t show up for the October 2 council meeting.
But Mr Molluso has hit back, declaring: “Council briefings are for dummies” and 80 per cent of council meetings are a waste of time.
The Liberal and former failed mayoral candidate has had the lowest attendance at council meetings for five of the past six years, according to Fairfield Council documents.
He has attended an average of 20 council and committee meetings per year since 2012, compared to 34 for other councillors.
Between 2013 and 2015, he attended less than half the average number of meetings compared to everyone else.
“All councillors are encouraged to attend, participate, debate and make decisions, no matter what their view on matters,” Independent Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, who was expelled from the Labor Party in 2016, said.
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“However, I am concerned at the long history of poor attendance without a reasonable explanation being recorded or provided.
“I am investigating how to cut or reduce his pay. The community expects no work, no pay. I am wondering: Is he the laziest councillor in Sydney?”
Fellow councillor Charbel Saliba said he is “known to other councillors as ‘no-show Joe’ because he often doesn’t show up to briefings or committee meetings”.
If a councillor is absent from three consecutive ordinary meetings of the council without the council’s approval, their office automatically becomes vacant, according to the Office of Local Government.
Mr Molluso has narrowly avoided that fate.
But Mr Molluso said the council needs to look at better ways to use councillors’ time.
“Council briefings are for dummies who can’t read the reports,” he said. “If I miss the odd council meeting, so what? I am also not one to show up for council photographs and smile while shovelling dirt.
“Eighty per cent of council meetings are taken up by presentations and mayoral minutes. They need to reduce the number of meetings. Many of the outcome and services committee meetings take an average of five minutes — it’s a joke.”
A spokesman from the NSW Office of Local Government said they “expect councils to diligently serve their communities”.
“Ultimately, the community can pass judgment on the performance of councillors at the ballot box every four years,” a spokesman said. “Where a councillor’s period of absence exceeds three months, councils are not permitted to pay the councillor.”