IT will go down in history as the Battle of Pokolbin Public Loos.
Cessnock City Council left its visitor information centre without toilet paper to make a point in a bigger war about control.
General manager Lea Rosser froze Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourist Boards $470,000 funding without warning on Tuesday last week, saying its operations had to go out to tender.
But it was on Friday, when toilet paper ran out in the public toilets at Pokolbin visitor information centre, that the proverbial hit the fan.
Cleaners provided emergency supplies, but by 2pm yesterday, and after calls from the board, the council confirmed it would no longer provide toilet paper at the centre.
Im speechless, said Cessnock MP Clayton Barr, who described it as a new low for a council that was more like a dictatorship than a democratic level of government at the moment.
He criticised spiralling legal bills after mayor Alison Davey took Supreme Court action in March to stop a majority of councillors from voting Ms Rosser out of a job, and said the consequences had left the general manager with powers unchecked by elected representatives.
Stopping toilet paper shows its a power play, and nothing but a power play, but to what end, and what about the community? he said.
Cr James Ryan, who is fighting the council administration in court today after it pursued him for $8000 costs flowing from a Land and Environment Court action linked to the Supreme Court case, said the Division of Local Government needed to step in.
He estimated the council would spend $25,000 fighting him and fellow councillor Chris Parker for a total of $16,000 in costs.
There is no democracy left at Cessnock council, and the community is in the appalling situation where even toilet paper isnt supplied in public toilets, councillors cant act, and the general manager is not accountable, Cr Ryan said.
Theres an urgent and desperate need for the division to get involved because weve got vast amounts of money being spent on legal actions, and councillors have been silenced because of it.
Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourist Board president and Bimbadgen manager Rebecca Poynter slammed the council over the toilet paper, cutting off the board executive officers fuel card for discounted fuel at the councils depot, and failing to notify the board of the changes.
Having to deal with inane actions such as these distracts us from focusing on our objective, which is marketing the area to attract visitors and ultimately add value to the local economy, Ms Poynter said.
That council failed to notify us that these small ancillary services had been removed demonstrates a lack of both good managerial process and even worse, reasonable communication.
Tourism Minister George Souris said the decision should be reversed, and reminded the council the Hunter wine region was one of the states pre-eminent tourist regions, attracting three million visitors a year and attracting hundreds of millions of dollars.
Alison Davey said she was not aware the board vehicle had been fuelled at the depot. She did not respond to a question about the toilet paper.
Maybe the Cessnock Mayor and the Mudgee Mayor could get together and compare notes, they both seem very intelligent (?????) people. Yeh sure, pigs fly too.
Just another sign of local Government Power. Bet they had gourmet sangas at the meeting when they made the decision as well.
I was in Local Government for 17 years so I know what it's like and don't miss it one bit.
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It's a dreadful example of women in power. What games they play in the public arena of their community. They both look so stupid it defies logic. Who employed these people? Not very credible when it come to the crunch.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
It's a dreadful example of women in power. What games they play in the public arena of their community. They both look so stupid it defies logic. Who employed these people? Not very credible when it come to the crunch.
I can't believe you said that CG. There are reports on here all the time about councils/companies/organisations doing weird things, haven't noticed anyone ever blaming these on 'men in power'.
It's a dreadful example of women in power. What games they play in the public arena of their community. They both look so stupid it defies logic. Who employed these people? Not very credible when it come to the crunch.
I can't believe you said that CG. There are reports on here all the time about councils/companies/organisations doing weird things, haven't noticed anyone ever blaming these on 'men in power'.
As a woman, I understand CG's disappointment in these women.
I'm a woman too, and I'm afraid I don't understand. Why should we be holding women to a higher standard of behaviour than that allowed for men? Be disappointed in them as local government representatives, as managers or as human beings, but nothing they have done has any bearing on whether or not they are women.
Political Correctness is quite a card to play, a real weapon designed to shut people up.
However CG's observation was not holding women to a higher standard and nor was it sexist. We all know CH from her many sage, helpful and practical posts. Above all I have been impressed as many would have been by CG's humanity, caring and fairness.
It is quite reasonable to be frustrated by this mayor's foolishness and more so for those who share her gender and had hoped for more from the women flag bearers in positions of responsibility and trust.
However if it is good enough to champion for more women in senior jobs because they are women, it is fair enough to be exasperated and frustrated when one pulls a stunt like that. Besides, it is obvious that affirmative action bowls a few wides.
Mobs are a sensitive subject for me: too small and slippery by far and I need a pixie to tap it for me. Isn't there anyone to recognise the obvious, that bigger is better!
I was referring to my disappointment at seeing this behaviour of community leaders in public. Unfortunately we've come to expect it from men with power surges, but when women get the opportunity to lead, they can behave this way. It's not a good look and undermines their own credibility. I've worked in many places with men and women, run my own businesses, and I'd much prefer to work with blokes. They say it like it is with no back stabbing. For some reason women in positions of authority and/or power tend go beyond the call of duty to impress or prove a point. There's nothing I like to see more than a woman succeeding on her own merits and credibility, and doing the job well. Whether it be politics, (present PM excepted), business or truck driving. Women can do it well, and earn the respect of their peers of both gender. We can't demand respect. Thanks everyone who understood where my statement was coming from. I apologise if you misunderstood. I'm all for equal opportunity, and equal pay, and a fair go, but sometimes women undermine themselves with this sort of behaviour.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Its interesting that the greatest attention seems to go toward toilet paper of all things!! Heaps of money has been wasted, yet this is where the focus is??? Makes me wonder about why they are taking the voters attention away from whats really going on.
