Paper Bags Full of Banknotes - Advice to Mosman Council

The Co-Chair of the 'Committee for an Independent Mosman' , Will Tuck, has written to the Mosman Daily putting the case against mergers. He postulates that the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s proposal to merge Mosman with our five neighbouring councils is some how related to the corruption of public officials. A bold assertion indeed.

'The real story is, who would you trust to manage your council? A government or opposition made up of MPs who take paper bags full of banknotes and back development against community interests, or an approachable council?  Mosman Daily 20 Nov 14.

The Committee for an Independent Mosman was created by the Council in July 2013.  This is how council website describes the committee.

'The purpose of this Committee is ensure Mosman continues to be an independent Council and not the subject of forced mergers by the NSW State Government. This reflects the overwhelming will of Mosman residents as evidenced in the September 2012 poll where approximately 80% of all voters expressed a desire for Mosman Council to remain independent.'

It seems wrong that the Council can setup  and fund an advisory committee with such a narrow brief. Shouldn't the council be considering a range of advice, shouldn't the council have a responsibility to act in the best interests of residents.

Lets hope that no one takes serious notice of advice from a consultative committee that thinks merged councils are going to be managed by MPs 'who take paper bags full of banknotes'.

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Rejection not selfish

Mosman Daily
20 Nov 2014
OK. LET’S do what the Premier wants with NSW Councils, swallow our pride and all merge. With Mosman Council, the suggestion is that it merge into a projected council population 900 per cent larger than now, or 270,000 people from the 30,000 that...read more...

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Ku-ring-gai Council Opens Discussions on Mergers

Ku-ring-gai Council has taken the wise step to open discussions with surrounding councils on voluntary amalgamations.  They intend to employ facilitators and other consultants as necessary to enable a report to be brought back to Council by February 2015. 

Councils have been offered financial and organisational support for merger talks under the NSW Government's Fit for the Future initiative.

Councillors voted 6 to 4 at last weeks council meeting to prepare a submission to the NSW Government demonstrating that Ku-ring-gai is 'fit for the future' without the need for amalgamation. But at the same meeting, the Council also voted to open discussions with surrounding councils on voluntary amalgamations.

Mayor Jennifer Anderson said the Council needed to remain flexible in its approach to the Fit for the Future reform package. "We will consider the implications of all the options on the table, bearing in mind the best interests of our ratepayers," 

Mayor Anderson also flagged one of the potential hot issues that will arise, she said. "Our financial modeling shows that higher rates will follow a merger with a Council that has lesser land values, such as Hornsby."  

No doubt this issue will also arise if Mosman and North Sydney councils start to have a dialogue. Every council has different rate formulas that will have be rationalised over time.

It is great to see a traditionally anti merger  North Shore council preparing to consider all options in the interests of its residents.

Mosmanly - a Text Book 'Red Herring'

'Straw man' and 'red herring' arguments are the stuff of high school debates and local politics.

In response to the 'Sampson Review' proposed merger of Warringah, Pittwatter and Manly, The mayor of Manly has suggested that Manly and Pittwater should each take over parts of Warringah Council, to take revenge and demolish the next door council that has been arguing in favour of amalgamations.

The mayor of Mosman supported  a merger between Mosman and Manly, Mosmanly, this being better than a merger between North Sydney and Mosman on the grounds that the two areas were both residential.   The Mosmanly proposal seemed to ignore the fact that Mosmanly council would be split in half by Sydney Harbour.

Both Mayors engaging in a classic 'red herring' argument, distracting and diverting attentions from the real issues.

Graham Sampson, chair of the ILGRP was recently interviewed by the Manly Daily. This is an extract.

We’ve been asked by the State Government to create a stronger local government sector, a combined northern beaches council taking in all three could be very strong. It could play a very important role in Sydney.” 

As for MosManly — a merger between Mosman and Manly — Mr Sansom said it was illogical. 

“We looked at the criteria for effective LGA boundaries and one of the features used commonly all around the world is a major waterway,” Mr Sansom said.
“Trying to make that death-defying leap across Middle Harbour to connect Mosman and Manly, we couldn’t see that as the logical way to go.

“Certainly there are some linkages between Mosman and Manly but the dominant link is between North Sydney and Mosman, then Manly with the northern beaches.”

No doubt we will see a few more of these distractions from our local mayors. The 'Straw Man' and Red herring fallacies are well explained in these two short videos.