Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi has told the Voice to stop talking to her and has instructed us to put all questions to Perth city council’s public relations unit.

Until last year the lord mayor had been happy to answer queries directly, responding quickly and often with a distinct personal flair that provided readers with an insight into her unique take on city issues.

Neighbouring Vincent mayor John Carey and Bayswater’s Barry McKenna remain happy to chat directly but Stirling’s Giovanni Italiano has also put up the shutters.

Both Ms Scaffidi and Cr Italiano have featured in Voice stories they consider to be unflattering and/or unfair.

The Voice’s reports last year on the decrepit state of the Grand Central Backpackers, a building owned by Ms Scaffidi and her husband, resulted in the lord mayor refusing to comment and the council’s PR unit fielding our queries, despite the issue having nothing to do with her lord mayoral duties.

Then the news about the corruption and crime commission report broke: Ms Scaffidi was found to have engaged in serious misconduct over her receipt and failure to declare significant travel and hospitality gifts.

Last week the Voice asked Ms Scaffidi about a building site in neighbouring Vincent that she and her husband co-own, which is the subject of daily fines over mounds of rubbish.

“I think you need to get correct facts ahead of your constant guesswork,” she emailed, without providing said “correct facts”.

“Please only contact me on City of Perth matter via our comms staff and note no comment from me on this issue.”

Ms Scaffidi is paid around $175,000 (including allowances) a year while Cr Italiano gets around $100,000.

by DAVID BELL