I congratulate Paul Bibby on his article on conflicts of interest involved with the Byron Shire Council (BSC) using consultants.
I also congratulate Cr Dey for asking for an investigation into this but that investigation should go back to the nineties.
It will be interesting to see if the rest of the elected council supports Cr Dey’s motion on September 14, or do the majority remain loyal subjects of the executive?
I remember Simon Richardson saying to me after a WW&SAC meeting that he only listened to experts. I found that comment strange because unless you understand what the expert is telling you it means you just continually nod and pretend to understand, which I think Mr Richardson probably excelled at.
Cr Dey’s point also raises the question of why are there so many civil engineers employed on Council who are supposed experts in the fields of which they are continually engaging consultants to tell them how to solve a problem.
As a sewer operator, I witnessed consultants brought in by supposed sewer engineers employed in W&R to solve problems that the outdoor staff could have solved.
People should be made aware that the first West Byron Waste Treatment Plant was built by BSC’s own construction and maintenance staff overseen by Harry Wilson, the outdoor manager of construction and maintenance.
Over the years, people have been employed by Byron Council as engineers who simply refuse to make decisions or use their supposed skills to solve problems – they just call a consultant. This also applies to people employed in management positions or promoted to these positions internally who simply don’t do the job.
I wish Cr Dey all the best with his motion. It’s time for a change in the structure and accountability in BSC, and this is a good place to start.
