FOUR Oaks Ward councillor Paul Richardson will have to pay a $100 fine for calling Casey chief executive Mike Tyler an idiot.
The fine, placed on the councillor when he refused to apologise for making the remark, is a pittance.
But it was a serious issue in what was another round of strange behaviour at council meetings because Cr Richardson’s peers unanimously condemned him and obviously put him offside.
Cr Richardson ultimately apologised to Mr Tyler, but still copped the fine when Edrington Ward councillor Mick Morland moved during a later meeting that it be waived.
Cr Richardson has been a loose cannon around the council table and he needs to do something about that if he is to effectively represent his Four Oaks Ward residents. This councillor has been warned at almost every council meeting for making derogatory remarks about other councillors and council staff.
He just doesn’t seem to get the message that this type of behaviour is unacceptable in any forum. These days they don’t even allow it on the football field.
I missed the first episode of this little soapy because I was away, but reports showed that Cr Richardson had refused to apologise for making the remark, and by motion of the council was fined.
One report said he made the comment after councillors voted to pay some of Casey deputy mayor Rob Wilson’s travel expenses to Malta for a waste management conference.
Reports say Cr Richardson’s outburst followed a string of heated remarks directed at councillors.
Councillors heard the offending remark and he was immediately called to order and asked to apologise, but refused. In moving that the fine be dropped, Cr Morland said Cr Richardson should not take comfort from the resolution that would change the council’s view because it was noted his behaviour was extremely close to being within the ambit of an offence.
Cr Richardson immediately apologised, but the council voted against Cr Morland’s motion and the fine remained. Cr Morland said in debate that he didn’t believe a fine was appropriate, but it was important that Cr Richardson apologised to Mr Tyler. He said councillors had been on teambuilding weekends over several years and talked much about working together and looking at the big picture.
“We have to decide whether to accept an apology or impose a fine,” Cr Morland said.
The end result was that Cr Richardson got both.
Cr Morland said after the meeting that Cr Richardson asked to be given another chance. “I was the only councillor willing to consider that and agreed to raise it on the condition that he apologise, but even then I had trouble getting a seconder,” he said.
“The major thing is that he has apologised. He took his chances on the fine. The $100 is not much, but it is a principle of being found guilty of something,” Cr Morland said.
Cr Morland said he was concerned that Cr Richardson in the past had been rude and disrespectful to other councillors.
“He needs to focus on community issues and not throw barbs at people when he doesn’t get his own way,” he said.
Cr Richardson’s attitude is not helping himself or his Four Oaks Ward residents.
At best it is a blatant waste of time because he loses support on other matters that, particularly if they are line ball, might have won the vote.
That’s human nature.
Certainly, the councillors evoked a seldomused regulation, one I have not seen used before, to fine Cr Richardson.
Had he apologised initially he may have got away with the remark. Usually, councillors who become a little miffed about something will make a comment ‘out of order’ and when asked to apologise they do, having made their point and let off steam.
Cr Richardson’s aggressive attitude is losing him ground quite seriously and this is a pity because most of his comments are based on supposition.
We have just seen the demise of a previous Four Oaks Ward councillor because he would not listen to wise counsel. For the most part, people are willing to help, to forgive and forget and this leaves the way open for Cr Richardson to regain his ground.
My view is that Cr Richardson, in his own interest, that of his residents and the council, should take advice on how he handles his role as a community representative.
We have plenty of former mayors from both sides of politics who would be prepared to meet and help this councillor.
The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.