Cr Cassidy becoming Mayor is the best thing that could happen to Warrnambool for the next 12 months, because she could finally break open the grip that has strangled the place for a decade.

Credit card abuses, bullying, boys’ clubs, budget blow-outs, over-the-top fees, fines and charges, and an assortment of other dodgy dealings don’t happen unless you have a majority of compliant councillors.

These are the ones more concerned about building their public profile, or not causing a fuss, or staying in sweet with the CEO.

Last week, Cr Cassidy told it like it is. No wonder former CEO Bruce Anson didn’t like her.

And it is for this very reason, of course, that she won’t be Mayor unless Tony Herbert pulls the pin and decides to rest and look after himself. I hope he does.

He is running for all the wrong reasons.

I disagree with many decisions that Cr Cassidy has made as a councillor, but if she can drag the bullshite into the light for the next 12 months, she has my vote.

Which brings me to the woman on the right, Doreen Power, the CEO of Lyndoch.

This Tuesday at 4pm, Ms Power will front Lyndoch’s 67th AGM at Lyndoch, not that you would know it, because I haven’t seen a word of it advertised.

But this is an important meeting.

We will be able to learn if the $1.77 million deficit recorded last year by Lyndoch has been turned around.

We will hopefully find out more about where the $100 million is coming from for the eight-year masterplan.

It’s also a chance to dig into where the money collected by Lyndoch from the residents and governments is actually going.

And it is a chance to learn how staff shortages, poor staff morale and the divide-and-rule work environment that has developed within Lyndoch over recent years is being handled.

I am building a series of stories on these things as we speak.

As it happens, Cr Cassidy is also on the board of Lyndoch.

I am counting on her to ask these questions with the same rigour and don’t-give-me-that-rubbish approach that she wants to apply to the WCC.

After all, we don’t want a Lyndoch board full of people more concerned about building a public profile, or not causing a fuss, or staying in sweet with the CEO.

Yep, it’s a big week and the bummer is that I won’t be at either meeting because I have been invited to a Google conference in Sydney to talk about the importance of things like The Terrier to small cities like Warrnambool.

I will pick it all up when I get back. See you then.

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Tony is done with the top job and fair enough.

But wait, you can’t just leave, Tony, because the Mayoralty is not about putting people INTO the role, but keeping people OUT, don’t you get that?

This is why Cr Peter Hulin will never, ever, ever be Mayor, even though he is the second-most experienced councillor in the joint.

And this is why Cr Robert Anderson became Mayor five minutes after he was first elected and bumbled along as best he could for the first 12 months.

And this is why Cr Sue Cassidy won’t be allowed anywhere near the big chair, despite leaving the meeting with her fellow councillors last Monday night thinking she had the gig.

I heard she even opened a bottle of bubbles when she got home.

Sorry, false alarm, because Tony also went home, sat down, probably swigged a giant scotch, and realised he wanted to be mayor after all. Yeah, right.

Barry the Bullshite Detector can smell a political power play at 100 paces and senses his fellow political animals, Crs Kylie Gaston and Michael Neoh, were all over Tony’s change of heart.

If Cr David Owen was well enough to be the next Mayor, he would have been their choice.

But with Cr Owen out, Cr Anderson out, themselves out (unless Mike was mayor for the 400th time), and Cr Herbert out, the unthinkable loomed: a loss of control.

And we can’t have that.

So Tony has booked into the Hotel California and propped himself up for another round.

Ah, such is democracy, Warrnambool style.

If there was ever a case for the direct election of Mayors by the people, rather than by the power brokers, it is this one.

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And yet Labor hand-balled, pardon the pun, the opportunity straight to Mr Purcell who ran with it – of course – and kicked a major goal by giving the local paper the “exclusive” right on the eve of the Hampden League Grand Final.

Bang! Six points to Mr Purcell!

Weeks earlier, Mr Purcell had promised he could get the funding by the footy final and – voila – he did!

I smell a plot, which has only thickened.

The Premier’s dept confirmed today that yes, Mr Purcell had been told about the funding first because “he had campaigned hard locally on the issue”.

They knew “he would probably go public” with the news before they did, but they didn’t seem overly fussed by this.

Wow! What a kick in the proverbials for their own candidate, Ms Gaston!

Mr Purcell, as he has said before, is still thinking about whether to move from the Upper House to the Lower House for the next election. (He has to decide by November 8.)

I reckon the $7 million smackeroos just about seals the deal, which is why Labor is jumping on board.

After all, if Mr Purcell wins the seat, they will have him all buttered up before he arrives.

Mr Purcell will be a vote they can count on – obviously – much more than sitting Liberal MP Roma Britnell.

For Labor, it is almost as good as winning this safe ol’ Liberal seat in the south-west.

And Mr Purcell has shown he likes the power that being a key independent MP can bring. He may not have that same power in the Upper House after the next election – how boring – so why not have a crack at the Lower?

Need more proof? He has even opened an electorate office in Portland, for heaven’s sake!

And let’s be frank, Mr Purcell, who presents like a Liberal and is all tied up with the racing industry, will attract a lot of votes from the conservative side.

When he first ran for the Lower House in 2010, he drew almost 12% of the primary vote, despite being up against Liberal mega-star Dr Denis Napthine.

This time around Mr Purcell has a bigger public profile, a much more vulnerable sitting member in Ms Britnell and now – thanks to the Andrews’ Government – some serious runs on the board in delivering what he says he will deliver, be it funds for a footy oval, or racehorse training on beaches.

If he pulls it all off, Ms Britnell will look like a Melbourne player wondering what in the heck just happened.

Let the game begin!

(Image: www.jamespurcell.com.au)