WCC staff survey results to remain under wraps

A call by WCC Councillor Mike Neoh for staff survey results to be released was nothing more than a stunt. Image: kruiser

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

The votes are in and….drum roll…. Warrnambool City Cr Mike Neoh has won Stunt of the Year, even though it’s only July.

Cr Neoh’s bold, Superman-underpants call for the WCC staff survey results to be released was never going to happen and he knew it.

Former CEO Bruce Anson would not release them. Former CEO Peter Schneider would not release them. And guess what? (Envelope please….)

New CEO Vikki King – anointed to the post this week by Cr Neoh and three other councillors – won’t release them either!

What a stellar performance of bullshite at its best!

So here we are, none the wiser as to what evidence pressed the eject seat under former CEO Schneider on Monday night.

I asked all the councillors today whether they would press Ms King to release the results.

Only Mayor Tony Herbert replied. His reply is worth reading in full and so I am posting it below.

Our council is broken, bleeding and stinks to high heaven. More to come, in coming days.

From Mayor Herbert:

“Thanks for your question.

As stated previously, the staff survey this year as with other years, was conducted with a high level of confidentiality which I believe must be respected. Maybe the next one, if staff were informed that their results in whatever format council decides, are going to be made public and the staff are aware of this, I might support being made public.

The staff already feel they are under the community microscope with the various forms of media ready to publicise anything they do wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s becoming too public.

Myself, I have doubts about the motives behind the call for staff survey results being made public.

It’s such an operational issue and as I used to be reminded regularly about this in my early days as a new councillor.

The staff, and all their related issues are the sole responsibility of the CEO. Surely staff survey results ,whether it be detail or higher level is for the CEO to decide not individual councillors. Councillors don’t actually have the control to do whatever they wish. They have to first and foremost act within the WCC code of conduct and the Act.

Given the staff sentiment also at the moment, I would prefer the staff to feel our genuine care for them rather than further humiliating them.

There was a staff suicide last year and many of them are still dealing with that event. They need support not more public attention.

Thanks for your query, but it’s a resounding “no support” from me.”

 



Million dollar question on CEO axing remains unanswered

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Questions: Are we about to throw $1 million of ratepayers’ money down the drain because the four horsemen of the apocalypse decided to sack the WCC chief without warning?

This is the figure being floated about and because Crs Owen, Neoh, Gaston and Cassidy refuse to tell us the full cost of their night of the long knives last Monday, I am going to say it must be close to the truth.

The math makes sense: 2.5 years left on a $340,000 contract, plus paying the acting CEO another $340,000, plus legal fees, leave entitlements etc.

If it isn’t such a huge cost, why is it secret? Ballarat City Council dumped its CEO in May – after a damning Ombudsman’s report – and the payout was in the local paper by the following Friday.

This time last year, these same four councillors voted for a rate rise of 4.5% – almost double the cap.

We were told this massive jump was essential to raise $700,000 extra to pay for bridges and footpaths and all of the crumbling infrastructure that had not been properly maintained under their watch (all ‘inherited’ according to Cr Neoh, who has since told us not to look at the past.)

Every cent of that rate rise will now go toward paying for their treachery.

Thankyou very much Crs Owen, Gaston, Neoh and Cassidy.

These councillors have clearly lost touch with the average ratepayer who they claim to represent and that, to me, is the greatest travesty.

We – and I am among those who have watched my rates go up and up – are just pawns in a power game. A game that was cooked up many months ago.

The acting CEO Vikki King didn’t suddenly get a tap on her door last week from Cr Gaston, or Cr Neoh, or whoever was given that exciting task, to see if she was free for the next 12 months.

How convenient that the acting CEO was slotted into the $340,000 a year role without it being advertised, or offered to any of the other senior managers who might have been interested.

It might be legal, but is it ethical?

Speaking of ethics, I am yet to see one shred of evidence as to why the CEO had to be knifed without so much as a final warning.

If the council gets out of this without a legal battle of some description, especially given the CEO’s professional reputation is now in tatters, I will be amazed – and grateful, that this attack in the night will not leave us carrying an even greater financial burden.

This story is far from over.

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Barry the Boolshite detector on why the CEO had to go

While you may understandably be feeling some concern, we’d like to remind you that every large organisation, whether government or private, must occasionally, in the best interest of that organisation, go through such a process.

We like to sound patronising and caring as we move into election mode. 

You have elected us to make the right decisions for this community.

We make the decisions and then tell you about them later, and this time we have put a gag in place, just for extra comfort.

Sadly some recent choices have not worked out and now we are attempting to correct that situation, prior to the next council term.

We %$%ed up the appointment process, we signed off on all the performance reviews, and now we are trying to cover our asses before the next election. (Barry, tone down the language.)

These results were extremely concerning given that ‘staff culture’ and ‘community engagement’ was asked to be elevated as key organisational priorities and risks.

See above.

It has also been baffling as to why one of our most successful engagement strategies, the Warrnambool City Council 2040 Plan, has seen the operational implementation of the plan both neglected and stripped of resources after being given contrary assurances at the highest level.

The CEO was so busy getting rid of the bullies and sorting out the mess he inherited, that he didn’t focus enough on the 2040 plan. That is baffling, and sackable! 

Having engaged with thousands of community members and almost 100 supporting organisations in developing the plan, it’s disturbing that councillor’s continual requests for appropriate operational support has fallen on deaf ears.

He had 17 months to get the Titanic in order, what more does he want?

This is just not acceptable.

Having someone milk our credit cards? Shrug. Spending $40,000 on renovations to a council-owned apartment where the former CEO’s executive assistant lived for 30 years without a written lease? Yawn. Watching Flagstaff Hill bleed us dry while we raise rates to double the cap? Boring! Not getting that 2040 Plan up and running? Now you’re talking! Unacceptable!

Councillors have developed a plan with you, the community, and we made a pledge to you that we are committed to it being resourced and implemented.

There are lots of other plans we have developed too, and done nothing about – they sit on shelves – but this one! This is the one! You want it, you got it!

We are confident that the acting CEO will reinforce our values, particularly with staff, and pursue Warrnambool’s interests with passion and represent us well with external stakeholders.

We know this, because we had her lined up from day one of this coup plan. Pity we didn’t hire her in the first place and saved you all a lot of money.

Whilst there may be diverse views in the community and among councillors, potentially the one thing that will hold the city back is obsessively dwelling on the past and using the past as an excuse.

This has worked for others, so we thought we might try it too. Forget the past! And especially forget the parts where we might have aided and abetted a certain culture while the council slowly fell apart financially, in community trust and in staff morale. Move on, people!

We believe that our decision, as difficult as it has been, is in the very best interest of our community.

And that’s why we did it without telling you anything.

To convey a clear plan and pathway forward, for you the community, we have put in place a time- line that will see the newly-elected council undertake a recruitment process post council election which is scheduled for October 2020.

We are already telling the next council what to do. This is how we roll.

Now that the decision has been made, we expect the Mayor and all councillors to move forward and continue to focus on the aspirations and needs of the community for the remainder of the current council term.

Sorry, this is too much even for Barry. He has passed out.

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Cr Sycopoulis warns agains “misdirected and unlawful coup”

Warrnambool City Councillor Peter Sycopoulis: he returned to council this year in a count back. Image: Supplied.

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Update: Warrnambool City Councillor Peter Sycopoulis has come out punching against moves to dismiss the CEO, saying the last thing the city needs now is a “misdirected and unlawful coup”.

Bam! Right between the eyes with that one!

Cr Sycopoulis sent a lengthy reply last night to my question to all councillors – do you support the CEO Peter Schneider? – but it was too late in the evening to publish, so I am running it now.

As we now know, Crs Neoh, Gaston, Owen and Cassidy are moving behind the scenes to get rid of the CEO, who has been in the job 17 months. He replaced Bruce Anson who had been in the job 11 years.

This is what Cr Sycopoulis had to say ahead of Monday’s “special meeting” where the CEO’s future will be discussed in confidence:

“I would have to say that I express my support to Peter Schneider in his efforts as our Chief Executive.

To this point I have seen no reason to question Peter’s performance standards. Just as importantly though, I believe him to be a man of integrity and is highly principled – this goes a long way with me.

I am impressed with the manner in which he has secured extra funding for the roofing of the Southwest Livestock Exchange and an extra $400,000 towards the combined Council/TAFE Library project.

Other successes include the settlement of contractual disputes associated with a major project, implementing Council’s new environmental objectives, reviewing the organisational structure of Council, capably managing the corona virus emergency and co-operating with the Council to provide free parking for CBD areas.

Even though the public are not privy to it, he is responsible for resolving many historical issues that had not been addressed in the past.

A final point though. The last thing this city needs is a misdirected and unlawful coup.

Warrnambool ratepayers desperately deserve and need a council that is guided by integrity, strong leadership, thorough oversight and scrutiny without fear or favour.”
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This is going to be a dirty fight. More to come on this story later today.



Mayor Herbert backs CEO before crucial Monday meeting

Warrnambool City Council Mayor Tony Herbert

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Update: W’bool Mayor Tony Herbert has released a statement to The Standard which has (finally) twigged there is something significant brewing.

I haven’t received a copy of the statement, so I can’t repeat it in full here due to copyright, but it endorses CEO Peter Schneider and makes this point: “In summary, all of the resolutions regarding his performance have been passed unanimously by the council at six months and again at 12 months.”

You will have to visit the paper’s website for the full statement. In the meantime, if ratepayers are left carrying the can for an unfair dismissal, we will know where the responsibility lies.

Just as I posted this, Mayor Herbert emailed me his response to my earlier question on whether he supported the CEO. His reply:

“He does. He has many challenges, a number historical. He is working on them, but surely, I believe if he is to make a difference, he needs support of the council.”