SMOOTH sailing at Frankston Council’s latest public council meeting last week was interrupted amid another clash between councillors in full view of the public and a monitor appointed to report back to the state government on governance matters at council.
Storm clouds were gathering outside during the meeting last Monday evening (19 February) while a storm erupted inside the council chamber.
It was the second time council meetings were broadcast near live online and the second time monitor Prue Digby looked on as councillors accused one another of showing disrespect.
Civil debate was suddenly shattered about an hour and a half into the monthly meeting when Cr Steve Toms accused fellow councillor Cr Brian Cunial of “smirking” during a debate about providing foreshore parking permits to business owners who pay rates and live outside of the municipality.
“Did I say something funny, Cr Cunial? Is that why you’re smirking at me?” Cr Toms asked Cr Cunial across the council chamber.
“I’m not smirking at anyone,” Cr Cunial responded.
The mayor Cr Colin Hampton, chairing the meeting, said: “I never seen him. Councillors, if you are smirking, desist.”
At January’s public council meeting Cr Hampton accused Cr Glenn Aitken of “staring” at him, a claim denied by Cr Aitken (“Council ‘circus’ on show”, The Times 31/1/18).
Later during last week’s meeting, Cr Aitken introduced a motion of dissent against a ruling by the mayor for the second public meeting in succession. The motion saw Cr Hampton temporarily step down as meeting chair for the second time in as many months.
Councillors voted 5-3 at last week’s meeting in support of the mayor’s ruling not to accept a point of order by Cr Toms, while Cr Michael O’Reilly argued for his rescission notice of motion to scrap a majority councillors’ vote the previous month to give foreshore parking permits.
When raising the motion of dissent, seconded by Cr Kris Bolam, Cr Aitken said the mayor “cannot evaluate a councillor’s point of order if you have not heard it”.
Crs Aitken, Bolam and Toms voted against the mayoral ruling. Deputy mayor Cr Lilian O’Connor, temporarily chairing the meeting, and Crs Cunial, Hampton, Sandra Mayer and O’Reilly voted to support the ruling. Cr Quinn McCormack abstained.
Cr Hampton said in the chamber that he “did hear the first 15 seconds of the point of order” despite immediately stopping Cr Toms from speaking when ruling out the second point of order the councillor raised in as many minutes while Cr O’Reilly was speaking during the debate.
“I evaluated it wasn’t a point of order in itself, it was just an interruption to this debate.”
Cr Hampton said he had flagged earlier in the meeting that “councillors were using points of order to interrupt other councillors when they were debating”.
Councillors voted 5-4 to not give foreshore parking permits to business ratepayers living outside the municipality.
Crs Cunial, Hampton, Mayer, O’Connor and O’Reilly voted to reverse a previous decision to issue such parking permits. Crs Aitken, Bolam, McCormack and Toms opposed the recision motion. Crs Mayer and O’Connor changed their votes on the parking permit plan between the January and February meetings.
