JOHN GIORGI’S 20-year reign as CEO at Vincent ends this year, with the council voting overwhelmingly not to renew his contract when it falls due December 31. A confidential vote at last week’s council meeting—the Voice was told it was a crushing seven-to-one result—brought down the shutters on Mr Giorgi’s hopes to stay in the…

JOHN GIORGI started his career in local government as a mailboy at Perth city council, moving through the ranks to become controller of health services, senior health surveyor and records officer. When Richard Court’s Liberal government split Perth in 1994 to create Vincent, Cambridge and Shepparton (later renamed Victoria Park) Mr Giorgi won the job…

FERVENT disagreement over a shared road between Vincent and Perth has bubbled to the fore, and they’re not even merged yet. Newcastle Street is the current border between the two councils. Perth, which controls the south, wants to convert Newcastle Street to four lanes to ease congestion and takes aim at “traffic calming measures” the…

SUBIACO city council has formally endorsed a plan to merge with Perth city council (as predicted in the Voice, December 14, 2013). Subi’s first preference is to remain independent and nab a slice of Jolimont, but seeing the Barnett government is dead set on amalgamations, councillors voted “under perceived duress” to submit another option—to merge…

FOR four months, amidst huge decisions affecting the city’s amenity, Vincent council’s development assessment panel has been missing half its local representation. When the WA government set up DAPs to supposedly streamline the development approval process for big projects, they were supposed to comprise of three state-appointed expert members and two local elected councillors. But…

THE Stay in Stirling campaign is ramping up again as the merger process gets to the pointy end, with submissions to the local government advisory board due March 13. The council has called for more community meetings opposing WA government plans for a Stirling split up, with mayor Giovanni Italiano urging anyone who cares about…

BAYSWATER city council (whose motto is ‘The Garden City’) is moving to cut down another tree. Staff have recommended the chainsaw for a four-metre jacaranda on Peninsula Road after a resident complained it blocked light from a street lamp and damaged unspecified “civil infrastructure”. It won’t be replaced. The axing follows Coode Street trees getting…

THE plan for a floating helipad in Perth’s CBD is dead in the water with the WA government refusing to kick in funds. Perth city council’s been angling for a helipad to service high-flying executives and tourists ever since the old one at the foreshore was pulled up about 10 years ago. Another temporary pad…