Perth Voice Interactive

IT was a quiet affair at this year’s Perth city council AGM, with the couple of ratepayers who’d showed up easily outnumbered by council staffers.

A conspicuous absence was former councillor Lyndon Rodgers, who didn’t show to receive his certificate of service after his re-election bid failed in October.

Mr Rodgers, often at odds with the pro-mayor majority, told the Voice he wasn’t fussed because he hadn’t been in it for the accolades.

Even residents who’d won the earlybird ratepayer’s prize didn’t turn up, leaving the suits from the bank who were donating the cheque sitting with the envelope in their hands.

Lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the low turnout indicates people are content, and in her review of the year she says the council had scored plenty of runs on the board.

Ms Scaffidi came runner-up in the international world mayor project, while the council’s parking department also picked up the ‘parking organisation of the year’ award.

The lord mayor says the Goderich Street affordable housing project—the first council-driven initiative to provide apartments at 20 per cent below market rates for key city workers—had also been a runaway success, having been fully tenanted as of last week.

Ms Scaffidi says the free wifi trial in Murray Street Mall has also had a good response, and she notes the council has also lobbied hard to save the pedestrian malls by opposing state government plans to run light rail through them.

She concluded with a recap of the mergers, restating the council’s position was to take just a small chunk of Vincent and maintain an inner city focus.

The only local resident to speak was Nigel Prescott, who agreed with Ms Scaffidi’s vision. He recalled the days before the old Perth city council got split into Victoria Park, Cambridge and Vincent.

“To be honest, the outer suburbs were a massive distraction,” Mr Prescott said.

IT’S the elephant not in the room: Month after month Perth city council meetings struggle to attract more than two locals to its public gallery, while just across the border Vincent often sees a dozen and sometimes 30 or more.

The WA government wants the two councils to merge, but Vincent mayor John Carey hopes his council’s easy-going and accessible culture will carry over to the amalgamated body.

“We have a culture that encourages people to attend our council meetings and allows them to have their own say.”

Mr Carey says the way the councils conduct public question time marks “a sharp difference” and Vincent is much more approachable.

“I might not like what some residents have to say, they’re critical to our faces, but that’s democracy and a healthy local government.”

Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi defends her council as open and accountable, saying all meetings and committees are open to the public and its head honchoes are easily accessible.

by DAVID BELL