Mayor says Haslett went too far in criticising council staff
DARWIN alderman Gary Haslett “went too far” in a passionate rant about council procedures
Northern Territory
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DARWIN alderman Gary Haslett “went too far” in a passionate rant about council procedures, where he criticised staff for influencing council decisions.
He called for the Lord’s Prayer to continue being read at the start of each council meeting, and then said in providing recommendations with their reports, staff were influencing council decisions and media reports on operations.
“I’m tired of seeing things come into the papers, things the staff know that’s not the will of (elected members),” he said.
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“Like the RSL, saying we should support in principle when it’s well known by staff that’s not the case. This is just another example. I have to make a stand because I’m tired of it.”
Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis and chief executive Scott Waters stopped Mr Haslett mid-sermon, saying he had gone too far in criticising council staff and that council always had liberty to accept, alter or reject recommendations. “He (took it too far). The officers write a report and put a recommendation,” Mr Vatskalis said.
“There are cases where we support the recommendations fully, we amend it, we change it … and other times where we completely reject.”
Mr Vatskalis defended the staff, saying they had fulfilled their duty.
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“It doesn’t matter what the officers recommend, at the end of the day the decision comes down to council, the 13 elected members there to make a decision,” he said.
“The officers only make their research and recommendation on what they think is the best solution.
“They get paid to write reports; we are elected to make decisions.”
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