Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer quits council
A ‘trapped’ Parramatta Lord Mayor has offloaded on the dysfunctional council that prompted him to quit the prestigious role of leading the burgeoning city.
Parramatta
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Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer has quit the council and lashed out on the chamber over factional “silliness” that will see him steer clear of the local government elections in December.
“Do you think I would put myself through such misery again?’’ the 70-year-old said.
“It’s been a mess from the start.
“Being the Lord Mayor on the streets is very enjoyable, despite Covid, but the chamber itself is a very difficult chamber, very factional.
“People want to play politics and I thought ‘this is not the time and I’ll leave it to the silly buggers’.
“My role is to try and get Parramatta happening. It’s got very frustrating with the stupidity going on there all the time.
“I’ve lived in Parramatta all my life and I wanted it to grow. The last thing you want to do is argue pettiness in the chamber every week.
“It was dysfunctional. I know it happens in different councils but Parramatta should be moving up. We are a major city on the move.
“You feel trapped to an extent.’’
The Winston Hills resident was elected Lord Mayor in September 2019 and has been part of a chamber that witnessed Cr Benjamin Barrak launch legal action against the council and sue Cr Andrew Wilson.
The long-running defamation case was launched after Cr Wilson ejected Cr Barrak from a council meeting for comments he made. The matter remains before the civil courts.
In July, Parramatta Liberal councillor Martin Zaiter unsuccessfully launched legal action against his own party in the NSW Supreme Court claiming it had mismanaged the preselection process that allowed the State Executive to preselect candidates instead of branches.
The last straw for Cr Dwyer’s exit came last Monday night when the Liberal Party opened preselection for the local government elections with 12 hours to nominate, a limited window that clashed with a council meeting.
“So when I got up that morning (on Tuesday) I thought ‘stuff it, I’m not doing it',’’ Cr Dwyer said.
“It got to me after a while and I thought ‘is this what I’m supposed to be doing?
“Sometimes I think you can make a better contribution in better ways outside the council. You need fresh blood all the time.’’
The mayor served three terms on the council for 11 years beginning in 1995 and said his greatest achievement was seeing the $3.2 billion Parramatta Square come to fruition.
He said stalwart Labor councillor Pierre Esber would have a “level head” and good business background’’ to be his successor.
After 22 years on the council, Cr Esber has expressed his willingness to take up the top job.
Deputy Lord Mayor Michelle Garrard (Our Local Community), Labor’s Donna Davis, Lorraine Wearne (Independent) and Bill Tyrell (Liberal) would also be open to wearing the mayoral chains if re-elected in the December 4 poll.
After Covid-19 delayed the September 4 elections, the council must still elect a mayor in late September when it is likely to vote Cr Dwyer in again until he officially resigns in December, when votes will be recast for the mayoral job.
Liberal Andrew Jefferies, who was the Hills mayor before the 2016 amalgamations, is joining Cr Dwyer and shelving politics.
Councillors Patricia Prociv (Labor), Sameer Pandey (Labor) and Phil Bradley (Greens) said they would not run for mayor if re-elected.
Councillors Andrew Wilson (Independent) and Liberals Benjamin Barrak, Steven Issa and Martin Zaiter have been contacted for comment.
Cr Dwyer, a father of three and grandfather of six, will continue practising as a migration consultant but is cutting back on hours and looking forward to travelling, spending time with his family, playing golf and fishing.
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