Former Essendon ruckman John Barnes set to run for councillor at embattled Moonee Valley council

The Essendon premiership star is fed up with the antics of his local council, plagued by accusations of drug use, and has a number of exciting plans in the pipeline to instil change.

An AFL premiership hero has vowed to clean up a cocaine-scandal plagued council in Melbourne’s north.

Essendon ruckman John Barnes has nominated to run for the Moonee Valley council in a bold move into local politics.

The council, which covers Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Airport West, has been placed in the hands of monitors after a corruption probe was launched.

An internal brawl also broke out last week amid allegations of cocaine use inside council buildings.

James Hird with John Barnes at the Brisbane Lions vs. Essendon grand final in 2001.

Mr Barnes said he was running as an independent and wanted to focus on the nuts and bolts issues affecting the community.

“I want to take the personality politics out of the council – it’s time for change,” he said.

Mr Barnes, who played 202 AFL games at Essendon and Geelong including the Bombers 2000 premiership, said the council had become distracted.

He vowed, if elected, to donate part of his council salary towards a scholarship fund for local students.

And the Essendon local said that the council had failed to keep up with basic maintenance on footpaths.

“My mother in law broke her ankle on some uneven concrete; it’s the council’s job to fix these things,” he said.

Ex Essendon and Geelong footballer John Barnes and his wife Rowena at their Essendon home. Picture: Michael Klein

Mr Barnes said the area needed a new basketball stadium and an upgrade of parks.

“We need to give the kids something to do to get them off the Xbox and Tik Tok,” he said.

“There’s 20,000 kids in Moonee Valley under 14 but we don’t have a basketball stadium – we can make that happen, I’ll find a place for it.”

Mr Barnes’ nomination for the October 24 elections comes after a difficult week for the council.

Cr Jacob Bettio claimed that Mayor Pierce Tyson had visited his home to demand he provide a urine sample for a drug test after “cocaine was found in council toilets.”

“Cr Pierce Tyson, acting as the Mayor of the City of Moonee Valley Council, attended my residence and demanded me to “pee in a cup and provide my urine to him for the purposes of drug testing”,” he wrote in a public Facebook post.

“I declined. I stated I had not used the male toilets during my visit. He did not respond to this statement. I now demand the CCTV footage from the CEO to prove my innocence.

“I have subsequently sought an apology from the Mayor, and none has been forthcoming.”

Monee Valley Council councillor Jacob Bettio

Monee Valley Council mayor Pierce Tyson

Mr Bettio confirmed on Friday that he was yet to receive an apology.

Mayor Tyson declined to comment but has denied he asked Cr Bettio to “pee in a cup”.

Moonee Valley Council was placed under monitors in January after an Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption probe.

It centres on allegations about a dispute between the council and the Essendon Royals soccer club, which has been relocated to the Cross Keys oval in Essendon.

Victorian Local Government Minister Melissa Horne announced an extension to the council monitors in July, including during the October elections.

A Moonee Valley council spokeswoman confirmed cocaine was found in the “male toilet of Council Chambers.”

“The matter has been referred to the police. Moonee Valley City Council is fully committed to workplace safety, including a workplace that is free of drugs,” a spokeswoman said.

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Originally published as Former Essendon ruckman John Barnes set to run for councillor at embattled Moonee Valley council