TWO words. Community First!
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Greater Taree City councillor Brad Christensen looked to the words dressed in a bold typeface on the media release of Cr Peter Epov. Thousands of words colour the pages penned by Cr Epov but it was the use of 'community first' that proved the tipping point for Cr Christensen; he gathered his thoughts, made some notes and decided it was time to speak to the actions of Cr Epov.
Cr Christensen is a team player - sporting and community groups along with council service colour his life story and he's public about his passion for the Manning Valley and its potential for future economic and social development.
Cr Christensen knows the power and value of positive team dynamics and says "the last thing I want is for councillors to look like they are fighting, but he must be held to account for his words and inaction."
The catalyst for his decision to speak publicly is the recent spate of anti-council comments by Cr Epov at numerous public meetings and in the media in relation to the proposed Open Space Improvement Plan.
Initially, Cr Christensen said he was surprised by Cr Epov's damning commentary of the proposed plan and council's consultation process as only a few months earlier Cr Epov had voted with all councillors to ensure the plan was placed on exhibition to gather community feedback.
However, surprise turned to alarm when he read media releases issued by Cr Epov that described the plan as "ill-conceived, poorly managed and supported by a group of people who are sadly out of touch with community sentiment and practical public needs" and the consultation process as "misguided and clumsy".
Cr Epov also claimed that he had "been attacked by a number of my councillor colleagues for having the temerity of speaking out on this issue, these ambushes and tirades will not avert me from advocating for good corporate governance, sound public policy founded on the principle of working with the community hand-in-hand for their common and collective benefit."
Blue highlighter pen and notations in Cr Christensen's hand mark the pages of Cr Epov's releases, and he frequently points to the words 'Community First' as he speaks about his experience of Cr Epov in the years he has served as a councillor.
"As a councillor of my region I feel it is my responsibility to the whole community to follow this process through to the next stage. Especially when all councillors voted for this proposal to go out on exhibition and follow through with the community consultation," Cr Christensen said.
"This is exactly what we are doing. In my opinion it is not right for councillors to abandon a proposal half way through the process they supported because there is some community angst! I do not agree with a lot of the proposal, but it's my duty now to inspect all sites, read all submissions and then, and not before, make my decision on behalf of the whole community.
"Cr Epov declares that council is a team, he repeatedly states that he is a team player when it suits him, and yet he goes out and criticises, not just councillors, but council staff when it is not called for.
"If you're prepared to put yourself out there and sell yourself, as he does, as the community maestro, and community first, well you have to back it up with what you do and he is not doing it and I just want the community to know," Cr Christensen said.
"I have had enough of his criticising staff and it is time the community questioned Cr Epov's performance as a councillor."
He points to Cr Epov's decision in June last year to resign from his responsibilities on numerous council committee's (see story page 4.)
He asserts the catalyst for Cr Epov's decision to resign from his committee work was borne from the decision of councillors to not support his appointment to the board of MidCoast Water.
"It left us in the lurch because we had three or four committee meetings coming up in the next few weeks and we had no-one to sit on them, so we had to get substitutes and it just puts pressure on all the other councillors because some are already on five, six, seven, eight committees," Cr Christensen explained.
Since that time mayor Paul Hogan has requested Cr Epov assess his contribution to council and Cr Christensen says he has "put to him that if you step down from all the committees, well then you should be gone."
"His response was, 'I've seriously thought about it but it would cost $80,000 for a by-election so I haven't bothered."
Cr Christensen says that in September it will be less than 12 months until the next local government election.
"If he goes in that period we don't have to have a by-election. So I am going to put to him in September, that if you're not doing any work, you should be on your bike.
"For Cr Epov to state that he is community first, to me people need to judge that on the evidence of how he has performed on council for the last two and a half years. He publicly states that he is all about policy and process, well councillors are still waiting for his report on the 2013 National Local Roads and Transport Congress that was held in Alice Springs."
Cr Christensen says all councillors must submit a report to council on any conference they attend.
"That's policy and process and that's how it should be. He has not handed that in yet," he explained.
"For him to put himself up there as going to sell our community, going to look into this roads conference and see what he could do to get money for our roads, and we haven't heard a word - not one thing, not even a conversation at a councillor workshop.
"He also agreed to create a lobby performance process for council because he said he had so much experience, that he was going to do a process for us to follow and have a workshop. That's now been 18 months and he now says that he is not going to do that.
"My point is that he puts himself out there as being all about process, which is fine, but you have to do it yourself."