Belconnen Community Council Special AGM

damien haas said :

housebound said :

The voting will occur from 7.30PM and hopefully should be concluded by 7.15PM

ok I see others have beaten me to the humorous punch but I would have said that given those timelines are you saying that the result is already a foregone conclusion and “in the bag” one way or the other?

Being a resident of Belconnen I know I should care more, but I care more about actual issues rather than petty politics. Get on with it, get a result, one way or the other, and get on with it. The Legislative Assembly is as good as useless in representing Belconnen in their Molonglo elecorate, at least BCC should be able to form a steadfast position FFS.

johnboy said :

time travel?

I wish.

But no, I think Damien meant the AGM component is meant to finish by 8:15pm.

johnboy said :

time travel?

Maybe the BCC will celebrate the poll opening by going back to daylight saving time.

Belconnen needs people more interested in community issues, rather than playing sandpit politics.

Therefore, good luck Matt.

housebound said :

In the interests of balanced reporting, would you tell us who the other candidates are and what positions they want?

I would direct you to the BCC website or facebook page for more information.

You could also attend the meeting and ask questions of candidates at the election.

The voting will occur from 7.30PM and hopefully should be concluded by 7.15PM

grass said :

Come on RA. Opinionated yes but a candidates plaything?

We’re a place people get to say things.

The other side has always been more than welcome to make their own statements.

Come on RA. Opinionated yes but a candidates plaything?

Personally, I would prefer someone who has demonstrated knowledge, experience and understanding of planning issues and isn’t a wanna-be politician, which means I favour the other candidate for BCC President.

I stand by the fact I care enough for the community to put my hand up for various positions, even if sometimes the odds of success are against me. Many people involved in Canberra politics have been involved in Community Councils, before or after they have been a Legislative Assembly candidate, from Gary Kent to Mary Porter. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the community should be encouraged, no matter their personal party beliefs; Community Councils are apolitical, as are most community groups.

I have chosen to place my name against this post, and I’m not sure who is making the quoted comment. Yet I must mention my bemusement at the view that I don’t know planning; I identified the need for the Belconnen master plan to be a “living” document years ago. The only person who was on the Belconnen Community Council Committee at the time who (publicly i.e. to my knowledge) agreed with me was Damien Haas. Now, I know a few people have questioned Damien’s political alignment given his assistance to me last year, yet I believe he is politically independent and he and I work well together because we focus on the practicalities of situations confronting our community.

I have been on the front-foot with regards to planning developments, and I note a couple of other Community Councils have now started to talk about their own master plans, to their credit. At the February BCC public meeting concerning the Geocon development, I was the one who intervened to seek a mandate from the room that they wanted a master plan with height restrictions; my personal views regarding that development are irrelevant, as I wasn’t willing to stand by and not seek the views of the community. My actions and commitment are there for all to see, as opposed to the empty words from some who choose to post anonymously.

One of the things that’s stuck in my craw in recent years has been the way certain government stakeholders present at a BCC meeting and tick their consultation box without listening to the community feedback. A few years ago during a BCC meeting, a well-known ACT public servant was reporting on problems identified and fixed after the temporary relocation of bus stops throughout the Belconnen Town Centre, and was most dismissive of my claims that we had warned him of those problems before the initial changes. Community Councils can play a valuable role. Yes, the BCC is a forum, but there needs to be some accountability mechanisms. In addition to my understanding of planning, I also have the ability to get issues on the front page (when afforded the opportunity), which can only improve the capacity of the BCC to make a difference.

I implore interested persons to attend and have their voice heard.

There are a number of other committee positions not mentioned. Unfortunately, the BCC website at time of posting only includes the nominated names and not the positions contested.

I would have liked the opportunity to present relevant attributes to the public, but this was out of my control. Having said that, I’m happy to answer questions here.

This is the list I have seen:

Valid Nominations for BCC Elections – 16 April 2013

PRESIDENT
Robyn Coghlan.
Matthew Watts.

VICE-PRESIDENT
Damien Haas.
Brian Rhynehart.

TREASURER
John Simsons.
Provisional – Robyn Coghlan.

SECRETARY
Victoria Robertson.
Provisional – Robyn Coghlan.

CHAIR of PLANNING and ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
Robyn Coghlan.
Damien Haas.

CHAIR of HEALTH and EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Victoria Robertson.

CHAIR of MANAGEMENT and DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Victoria Robertson.

COMMITTEE
Graeme Evans.
Chris Gingell.
Graham Jackson.
Sheila Keunen.
Charles Thomas.
Anthony Wing.

Mr Evil said :

housebound said :

In the interests of balanced reporting, would you tell us who the other candidates are and what positions they want?

Shirley Gargoyle is standing for the postion of Wine and Cheese Evening Coordinator.

Does it make you feel better to call people names for no reason other than to … feel good about yourself?

Come on Damian and Dacquiri – tell us who these nameless candidates are that you seem to respectively hate and love.

housebound said :

In the interests of balanced reporting, would you tell us who the other candidates are and what positions they want?

Shirley Gargoyle is standing for the postion of Wine and Cheese Evening Coordinator.

It’s like a mini version of the Zed-Gary debacle! How cute!! 🙂

Anyway, hopefully this one will be sorted soon and they can get back to business – whatever that is! Anyone?
From my summary of Matt’s posts on RA over the last few months, i’m guessing it will involve a push for more liquor licences and/or relaxed law for bars (not that that is a bad thing!). Go Matt!

In the interests of balanced reporting, would you tell us who the other candidates are and what positions they want?

The election is about restoring democracy to a community group.

When that is won the plans that we had can be followed up on.

There are many issues the BCC can work on (such as better planning, parking in the town centre, sustainable development while not encroaching upon green spaces etc) yet for the last six months the people that deposed Matt (without any justification according to the ORS) have been focussed on three things to the exclusion of all others:

1 – making endless representations to the ORS on why Matt is ineligible to be President (all dismissed),
2 -attempting to write a new constitution that would make anyone who had been preselected for a political party ineligible to be a member of the BCC (solely aimed at Matt, ignoring the good work performed by Susan Macarthy, former BCC President AFTER being a preselected ALP candidate)
3 – stalling all attempts to hold a new AGM, even though the BCC were directed to by the ORS.

I was told that the incumbents wanted to hold a new AGM only after they had a new constitution. I was also told that even though the ORS had found the Public Officer and current Vice Presidents incompetence to be the sole reason the AGM from Sep was ineligible, that the ORS are in fact ‘wrong’.

Wouldnt it have been better if all that energy directed malevolently towards one person, had been directed towards tackling community issues? I have had no opportunity to present a report on Gundaroo Rd/William Slim Rd as the incumbents have shut down council business at public meetings.

It is about the community, but in all cases where a person puts themselves forward in an election, there are winners and losers. The losers from September last year just dont want to let go.

I urge concerned Belconnen residents to attend and support a team that is proactive and not malevolent.

This doesn’t really seem to be about the residents now Damo. Come on big guy, give us a little credit, the residents of Belco aren’t stupid.