Saturday, February 18, 2006

City taken to the Cleaners

Melbourne City Council CEO fails to negoiate cost of clean-up after the games. Ratpayers left to pick up the tab

Melbourne City Council CEO, David Pitchford, failed to negoiate the cost of clean-up following the Commonwealth Games leaving ratepayers to foot the bill for the clean-up costs.

Herald-Sun

The City of Melbourne has spent at least 32 Million dollars on Commonweath Games related expenditure including $170,000 in cost of free tickets to events for Councillors , staff, guests and hangers-on.

Normally clean-up costs of major events are paid for by organsiers of Major events but this time Melbourne City Council's CEO and Council Officers failed to ensure that the Games organisers made provision for the clean-up adding further to the costs to the City for this extravagent two weeks jock fest event.

The failure of the City Council to ensure that organisers meet any additional cost raises ongoing concern about the ability of David Pitchford to manage the affairs of the city and the ability of the Council to keep a watch on the performance and administration of the Council.


Our elected Councillors more interested in partying and social events then they are in administration and proper governance.

Meanwhile our Lord mayor, John So, makes unsubstanciated claims in statements to the Herald Sun that the City will reap dividends from the Games event. How? John So conveiniantly failed to outline extacly how and how much Melbourne will benefit. We doubt that Melbourne will see any real benefit from its 32 million dollar give away and that is not counting the one to two billion dollars that the State Government has spent overall on the games.

Any excuse and pretense to justfiy the unjustifiable.

John So, our City Councillors and staff are more then happy to spend up up big with no limit on costs as Melbourne is left to pick up the tab.

The Melbourne City Council continues to avoid responsibility and accountability by refusing to disclosу the full costs and alleged benefits.

Melbourne may never know the true cost of Ron Walker's folly, if at all, until after the November State election.

Hopefully this will be the last Commonwealth Games event held in Australia

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