Feisty Liverpool Council meeting backs court challenge and new deputy mayor

Some would argue it would be too harsh to call last night’s Liverpool Council meeting a farce.

But it was certainly feisty, boisterous and unruly at times, and for a short period it teetered close to being nasty.

It started off with a “bang’’ or two when people who were told they were not allowed to bring balloons into the chamber did so anyway and burst them as they walked in with them.

Like the last two council meetings, this one was packed with members of the council staff union who had performed their now regular chants against the mayor and the CEO in front of the Liverpool Library.

Inside, they booed, jeered and roared with laughter when Mayor Ned Mannoun opened proceedings by laying down the law, saying:

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“This is not a circus.’’[/social_quote]

This was followed with the mayor arguing with one of the public forum speakers, Peter Maatouk, who made a number of accusations against Ned Mannoun, whom he continually referred to as “Nader’’.

For legal reasons, very little of what Mr Maatouk said can be repeated here.

In any case, he was refused an extension of time by the council, but the next speaker also made a number of assertions about council’s handling of the development of a pop up café in Bigge Park.

There were huge cheers and applause for anything that was said which was critical of either Mayor Mannoun or the CEO, Carl Wulff, who was not present at the meeting.

But when a young Liverpool girl named Ruby Walker took to the podium to plead with council to keep her neighbourhood park, civility suddenly returned to the council chamber as everyone listened to her words.

But it didn’t last long: the acrimony soon returned and it was punctuated with a mass walkout by councillors just before a vote was taken on a motion by the mayor to condemn the Shooters Party MP who made serious allegations under the cover of parliamentary privilege. His motion also included noting a letter from the mayor had been sent to the Local Government minister “welcoming” an investigation.

Naturally the motion was passed as all those who stayed voted in favour of it.

But not before lengthy arguments and counter arguments about process as well as the merit of the motion, especially any legal implications for anyone who put their name to it.

“The process is wrong in bringing such a Mayoral Minute,’’ said Labor’s Cr Geoff Shelton.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We’ve had no warning, no notice about this.’’[/social_quote]

Cr Anne Stanley said she was worried about the possible legalities of the mayor’s motion.

“I will abstain from voting on this; I am not a solicitor,’’ she said.

Among all that, the council managed to unite around a motion dealing with the decision to give the green light to a recycling plant near the Georges River at Moorebank.

Both the mayor and Labor councillor Anne Stanley lodged motions calling for action which were similar and were therefore dealt together as one.

As a result, Liverpool Council will now take legal action to try to stop the proposal, which has enraged residents.

But it also approved a “plan B’’ suggestion by the mayor, to look at a land swap and other possible ways to stop the development from going ahead.

At least on this issue there was little acrimony and disagreement, but when they got to electing a new deputy mayor the divisions in this council were once again on display.

There were arguments for and against an open ballot but a vote was taken and show of hands was given the thumbs up.

Councillor Tony Hadchiti, who has served in the role before, received six votes and was elected ahead of the Labor candidate, Wendy Waller, and the independent Peter Harle.

The meeting, not surprisingly, went into overtime and there were arguments on whether the mayor had the power to extend the time available.

It was ruled by senior officers of council that indeed he could “from time to time’’ extend the meeting past the scheduled finishing time.

By this time, and with the public gallery almost deserted, the tension level had dropped a notch or two as the council tried very hard to deal with everything before it.

Well after 11pm – the official closing time for meetings – they voted to go into confidential mode, deal with items in that part of the agenda, and then return to the ordinary part of the business paper.

The media and the public were asked to leave the chamber.

Some of them soldiered on and waited for the resumption of the ordinary council meeting but one or two decided enough was enough and headed home.