The council meeting was the first opportunity for Clover Moore’s five-person bloc to to take advantage
of their outright majority. In an early show of strength the group of aligned
independents outvoted their Labor, Liberal and Greens colleagues to snare every
single committee position.
The Lord Mayor automatically retains the chair of each
council committee, with the following deputy chairs elected: Finance,
Properties and Tenders Committee – Cr Robert Kok; Environment and Heritage
Committee – Cr Phillip Black;
Cultural and Community Services Committee – Cr Marcelle
Hoff; Planning Policy – Cr John
McInerney; Major Development Assessment – Cr Di Tornai; Development Assessment
– Cr Black; Traffic Committee – Cr McInerney.
Council also elected councillors McInerney and Black to sit
on the Central Sydney Planning Committee which considers development
applications worth more than $50 million.
In one of the few unscripted moments at this week’s meeting,
lone Liberal councillor Shayne Mallard
reprimanded the Lord Mayor for rushing her Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan through
council. Cr Mallard said the plan was used as an election prop.
Cr Mallard also said there was a lack of “reasonable
debate” over the plan, and that the Sydney Chamber of Commerce had
“grave concerns” about its impact on the city’s finances and jobs.
As the new Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Hoff is entitled to 10 per
cent of Clover Moore’s mayoral
salary. Cr Hoff is a long-standing member of Lord Mayor Moore’s Independent
team and is known for her work with the Friends of Pyrmont Point community
group. She was unopposed in her bid to replace the outgoing Labor deputy Tony
Pooley.
Source
City News: www.alternativemediagroup.com/ThreadView.aspx?tid=9672#post_9672