Dysfunctional...

From today's editorial in The Herald...

Councillors losing focus
06 May, 2010 01:17 PM

NEWCASTLE City Council runs the risk of repeating the mistakes of its dysfunctional past.

Scarcely a year after this newspaper congratulated a new-look council on its seemingly down-to-business approach the city's elected panel of leaders has disintegrated, once again, into bickering and petty politics.

Just over a month ago Greens councillor Michael Osborne became the subject of a code of conduct investigation over his involvement in a community protest against the coal industry. An anonymous complaint forced the council to hire an expensive consultant to investigate the matter. The consultant recommended that Cr Osborne be censured by fellow councillors on the basis of a court conviction - since overturned - over the protest.

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