Councillor Chris Harris

Media Release

Our Lord Mayor of the city, Ms Clover Moore, not content with the Lord Mayors job and being the member for Bligh, last year elected herself as Chair of all Council committees. Now, to top it off, she has made herself the chair of the Bicycle Strategy Steering committee.

“We note Lord Mayor, that you have decided to attend the remaining meetings of the Cycle Study Steering Committee as Chair.” Email from Council staff

To date Ms Moore has never seen it important enough to attend a Bicycle committee meeting let alone chair one. Only three councillors have ever been at these meetings and they chose Greens Cr. Chris Harris as the chair.

The question is why would the Lord Mayor, given her huge commitments, wish to take over this position when for the past 12 months, it has been successfully chaired by Cr. Harris?

Why indeed, when the Lord Mayor has found it impossible to meet her other committee meeting commitments?

In fact the Lord Mayor has been unable to chair:

a.. any Cultural and Community Services Committee meetings,
b.. any Planning, Development and Transport Committee meetings,
c.. any Environment and Heritage Committee meetings,
d.. any Finance, Properties and Tenders Committee meetings,
e.. any Traffic Committee meetings

Instead, she has nominated a deputy - always one of her team - to stand in for her.

The Lord Mayor could not even find the time to attend - nor produce a deputy to attend - the important Traffic Committee meeting held in December 2005.

So why is the Lord Mayor bumping off Cr. Harris as Chair of the Bicycle Committee? Perhaps the Lord Mayor is bored with chairs and wants to try a bicycle seat? Or perhaps her domination of all Council committees was not complete without a bike? Arrh the wheels are turning at Town Hall.