MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

New General Manager Debacle Grinds on at Randwick City Council as Matson Blamed for Embarrassment

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Randwick Mayor Dominic Sullivan is threatening to censure Greens Councillor Murray Matson as the debacle of the Council's attempt to find a new General Manager grinds on.

The Job was recently declined by Peter Fitzgerald the current General Manager of neigbouring labor controlled Botany Bay City Council.

Contention arose partly because of the "non-inclusive" selection process and partly because Mr. Fitzgerald is a former Labor Mayor of Drummoyne.

Last Tuesday night, an extraordinary Council meeting was presented with a Mayoral Minute attacking Cr Matson for his opposition to Fitzgerald's appointment.

Cr Matson has responded by asking Mayor Sullivan to ensure that the next preferred contender for the job will have no political affiliations.

He elaborated,

"I think Dominic has to accept that his support for a former Labor mayor for the chief executive position at Randwick was incredibly insulting to the non-labor Councillors.

Fitzgerald had no formal qualifications for the job and his work experience consisted of working under an all labor council and mayor at Botany.

There were 74 applicants for the job but our Labor Mayor's preferred choice just happened to be a former Labor Mayor.

All of Randwick's Councillors have to feel confident that they will receive equal treatment under the new General Manager.

How is that going to happen when they know that Fitzgerald was once heavily involved in the intense and often bitter battle ground of Council politics?

I think the most sensible think for Sullivan to do is to now promise that the next candidate will be politically clean with no obvious affiliations to any party."