Monday 23 February 2009

De-Amalgamate Briggs Now

It's amazing how the Chief Executive Officer of Cairns Regional Council has so much time on his hands.
In between missing the boat on the Dengue outbreak, he finds time to criticise issues that are not within his job description.
Noel Briggs' role, as the CEO, is to manage his staff and implement the policies as decided by the elected Councillors. Nothing more.
However, he has the Cairns Post on speed dial, only to waste time, trying to yet again put a Councillor in their place. It is not the CEO's job to be involved in politics. Let me repeat that: It is not the CEO's job to be involved in politics.
His sights are again aimed at Julia Leu, for the grand felony of putting a 'De-Amalgamate Douglas Now' bumper sticker on her Council-funded car. Amazingly the sticker has graced Julia's vehicle for nearly a year, yet all of a sudden a 'Council staffer' complained.
This Councillor is doing what she said she'd do, when she took the mighty oath - to represent the people. It's a sad day when a Councillor or MP stops doing this. I wish Mr Briggs would get on with the job we all pay him the massive salary to do. He has around 900 staff and a myriad of pressing issues from appalling environmental management to killing some damm mozzies.
Soon after Councillor Forsyth jumped on the roof of the historic Yacht Club building late last year, Noel Briggs spent thousands of ratepayers dollars to commission one of his mates on the Tablelands to write a 10-page report on why the Councillor was guilty of the Code of Conduct. It was not objective nor balanced. I've seen this so-called investigation, which is the most poorly written documents you could ever set eyes on. We will be asking how much was spent of this report. It is also believed that the Mayor is not keen to pay for this trashy piece of deliberate dirt digging by the CEO.
This morning we see yet another 'investigation' by Briggs, this time into Councillor Lesina's Facebook profile. You can post all kinds of things here, it's a digital scrapbook. The Cairns Post reported that Kirsten is a 'member' of online groups like "come the f--- on bridget" and "1 million strong against Labor".
"I wonder why the Cairns Post would think that [I'm] in a group called 1 million strong against Labor when [I'm] in about 600 other labor fan groups," Kirsten Lesina said this morning on her profile page.
CEO Briggs says he will suggest Lesina change her profile to private. Kirsten should not take her marching orders from the CEO, someone paid three times that of the first term Councillor. She dragged this Council into the online era and is making strong in-roads for young people having access and involvment in local government.
I find the Mayor getting dragged into this latest debate about car stickers, on the coattails of the CEO's statement, is awkward, odd and a little dis-loyal. Julia, along with Diane Forsyth, are both on the same political leanings as our Mayor, and such attacks do little to strengthen and cement her position and the agenda of politics she so proudly and passionately stood for just over a year ago.

4 comments:

Arthur Festerbestertester said...

When the Cairns Post sets out to write slimy little pieces - I refer in particular to the remarks about Cr Lesina this morning - it wants to make sure it is not going to end up with slime all over its own face. Those hypocritical gooses obviously don't recall handing out free tickets for readers to go and see Zack and Miri make a Porno. And speaking of porn and other sex industry products, it's also worth mentioning that in fact the Cairns Post Editor, Mark Alexander, makes a living from the proceeds of prostitution, or immoral earnings, as it used to be called. Just have a look at the disgusting classified advertisements on page 38 of today's Post under Personal, Exotic Relaxation, Adult Phone Services and Adult Services. The Cairns Post is well known for its liking for rumor, gossip and innuendo and its inability to to get its facts right, let alone be honest. If Alexander, who is responsible for the content of the Cairns Post, had any decency about him he would ban those ads from tomorrow's edition onwards.

Tony Hillier said...

My dear Festerbestertester, while I wholeheartedly concur with the sentiments expressed in your post apropos the viscosity and hypocrisy of the ComPost, I feel duty-bound to inform you that Mark Alexander, in the time-honoured tradition of News Ltd executives, has been elevated to higher plains far removed from our tropical lowland. Judging from the mean spirited and indeed "slimy" poke at Cr Lesina, the new chief honcho (the title 'editor' confers a dignity and status they don't deserve) is of a similar ilk.

Arthur Festerbestertester said...

Tony old chap, my apologies. I thought he was hanging round like the proverbial till the end of the month.

Dan Vowles said...

All that aside gents, Why does Briggs have so much time on his hands as to persue petty issues?
Is this an example of an insecure control freak who feels the need to warch who is gunning for his job?
Or am I mistaken in thinking that we all feel this rubbish is important to the rate-payers of Cairns?