Should be “Force, Rod” not “Rod, Force” in that list. 

As usual I will have some kind of psephological preview out at some stage but I want to wait until the campaign is well underway before doing so.  I feel that I have a fair handle on how most of these suspects may perform but am particularly keen to see the campaign and try to gauge perspectives of it before commenting on the likely performance of either Archer.

(corrected: ta, KB)

Finally, the election has been called! I guess once a Liberal always a Liberal, and town hall has plenty already - not that anyone actually says so, but I have my suspicions, particularly based on the analysis of voting patterns posted earlier on this site:
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/your-city-council-sorted-right-to-left/

The Greens look forward to continuing to campaign to have more Greens on Council (we are not afraid to declare our hand). Phil Cocker is up for re-election, and he is supported by a diverse team - Bill Harvey, Corey Peterson and Elizabeth Perey. I’m contesting the Deputy position, and look forward to taking it up to a cast of 1000’s challenging the incumbent.

The pulp mill elector poll may well improve the voter turnout between the 15-30th of October. People across Hobart and beyond want to voice their dissent and they want to ensure that Lennon hears their disappointment in turning the Tasmanian planning process into a mockery. The Greens totally support the elector poll.

Maybe a further analysis of likely outcomes might be in the offing for the avid TT reader?

Authorised by Helen Burnet Town Hall Macquarie St Hobart (just for good measure)

Nice to see some sort of choice offering on the list of candidates, and I hope Margot Giblin can give us a pen-picture on each of the runners in due course with political/philosophical/petty obsessions, not to mention Tasmaniantimes affiliations (is Justabloke in this lot??).
The voter poll concept is an interesting add-on to focus voters out of the house but the outcome will be pretty ineffectual.  I would have loved to have seen alternative boxes to tick or cross that would factor in council debate (or, even, action!) - non-lethal bicycle access to the city, access to Wellington snow, green space, a functional tramway, compulsory perks for altruistic councillor, a stubby for those of us who turn up to vote ....

Jeff Briscoe Candidate for Lord Mayor and Councillor

Policies and Projects for a Better Hobart

Media Release
Tuesday 2 October 2007

Pulp Mill set to dominate Hobart City Council elections

The nominations for councilors and mayors for local councils elections was announced today but the pulp mill debate could be a significant factor, at least in the capital city said Alderman Jeff Briscoe today.

In August Alderman Jeff Briscoe initiated an pulp mill elector poll for residents in Hobart City. The elector poll will take place at the same time as the elections for Mayor and Councillors

Hobart city alderman Jeff Briscoe, a candidate for the city’s top job of Mayor said that the leadership of the city needed to move to a proactive style and the Hobart City Council election was one important way of sending a message to state government about the appalling abandonment of proper planning process in the assessment of the pulp mill as well as providing an opportunity to get worthwhile projects up to make a better Hobart.

“There is a window of opportunity for the people to be heard”

“So I am urging every resident to cast their vote in the pulp mill elector poll to send a clear message to the state and federal governments about the assessment process, the type and location of the proposed mill”

“I am also urging that residents vote on candidate’s track record and their projects and policies not personality”

“I will be working hard in the next few weeks to ensure that there is a debate about the merits of the candidate’s policies and projects”

“Good projects for the future need a leadership that pushes projects and policies” ” I can do that with a new united team at the HCC”

Absurdity of Rating Improvements

The world has a long history of destructive property taxes!

When windows were taxed in the UK, people boarded up their windows, and made themselves ill.

France levied a chimney tax, so people boarded them up too, smoking the residents until they too became ill.

Even in the 20th century, a capital improvements tax led to the de-roofing of buildings in the UK Midlands, leaving them as unproductive empty shells.

Absurd?  Of course;  but should we laugh at our forebears?  Are we any wiser?

Our preferred Council rates system taxes not only chimneys and windows, it taxes the whole house!

Why choose the worst system (AAV)?

Under Assessed Annual Value (AAV), anyone who erects a dwelling is penalized !

Property value consists of two separate parts:

the land value itself; and
the value of the buildings and other improvements made by the owner.
The AAV system fails to distinguish between the value of these separate parts.  Rates are levied on the property as a whole - on land and all improvements.  Affordable housing is a key issue of our times.  If we want to house our young families, we shouldn’t penalize people for building them!

There are a dozen reasons why we should not rate on AAV.  Here are just 3 of them:

AAV rating is inequitable; it penalizes the industrious homeowner; and it encourages the holding of land for speculative purposes.

Another 10 reasons, with explanations, are listed on my website:  http://www.justicetheaim.net

Cont…

Cont ...

What is the alternative?

The Local Government Act 1993, gives the option of using one of three rating systems to Tasmanian councils: 

S 90 (3) A general rate is to be based on one of the following categories of values of land:

(a) the land value of the land;

(b) the capital value of the land;

(c) the assessed annual value of the land (including improvements).

In Tasmania, all municipal councils opt to levy rates on the Assessed Annual Value (AAV) method. 

By comparison, all municipal councils in NSW and Queensland levy rates on the ‘Land Value’ method. 

Most ratepayer polls around Australia have found a majority favour the ‘Land Value’ method.

How we raise our public revenue matters.  When ratepayers know that the council will charge them rates only on the value of their sites and not on the value of their homes or other improvements, they respond by becoming improvement-minded.  The building and construction industries are stimulated, and a higher level of activity is maintained.  All of the Victorian metropolitan cities which adopted site value rating experienced higher construction activity (ref: Hutchinson studies).

Site Value Rating comparison

Compared with the above consequences of including building values in the rating base, the effects of rating site values alone are:

There is no reduction in the supply of sites.  But there is an increase in the supply of buildings as site owners attempt to derive income from their sites, so accommodation becomes more abundant and therefore more affordable (and, in the process, jobs are created in construction).
Property owners who allow their buildings to deteriorate get no rate reductions to offset the reductions in rents and capital gains. So buildings are better maintained.
Infill development is not penalized by higher rates, but is encouraged by the need to derive income from sites in order to cover the rates thereon.
Owners who renovate homes for the benefit of disabled persons — or for any other reason — do not suffer any consequent increases in rate bills.

Cont…

Convinced?

If not, there are another dozen reasons to switch to the Benefits of Site Value Rating listed on my website.  Check it out: http://www.justicetheaim.net

In October, residents of Hobart (and all other Municipalities) have the option of voting for the “same-old, same old”, or looking to new candidates who bring fresh thinking to the table.  I encourage everyone to insist that candidates declare their interests and their proposals. 

Much more of my thinking, philosophy and many of my policies are available on my website. 

Authorised by Leo Foley, 31 Brushy Creek Rd,  Lenah Valley   Tasmania   7008

Candidate for Alderman, Hobart City Council

My point would be that all sides of cube are necessary for the shape to exist, just so our society.  I’d like to think it is more of a globe with different “sides” merging into one another depending on your viewpoint.  All too artistic? 

It is important that all parts of a community are represented in a body such as Council to bring different ideas, perspectives, and constituencies to the table.  There is no doubt that Hobart needs some fresh faces on Council to clear the decks and get rid of the old animosities and perceptions of “sides” when we need commonsense and co-operation.  The best place to start would be for all candidates to declare if they are (or recently were) members of any particular Party so that we are not playing any hidden agendas that foster distrust in a forum that really does need openness and cooperation.

After working in Antarctica for over 15 years as a scientist and for government contractors, I have had to understand the profit motive from one perspective as much as the point of the mission (namely science) from another.

The planet and yes, Hobart, is going to be facing some critical issues arising from climate change in the coming decades and Aldermen with a broad understanding of issues are going to best serve the community.  With the relative abundance of water, clean air, milder weather, etc, there is every possibility that Tasmanian urban areas will become more and more attractive to migrants from the mainland and overseas.  There is every chance our current environmental and social stresses will be magnified in the near future and we need to be prepared.  We need to call on all the talents of our aldermen to ensure we progress Hobart while retaining its status as an extremely liveable and character-rich city.

The 21st Century is when everything changes and we need to anticipate and prepare.

Corey Peterson
Greens candidate for Hobart City Council

There should be another name in the group identifying as Green in the above article - that of Elizabeth Perey. My apologies.

Leo, I am overwhelmed! If you want to attract people to your website, might I suggest concise postings rather than a treatise?

Where are all the candidates for HCC and any other councils?  I know it is nearly impossible to get media coverage unless you are the pulp mill, federal election-related, or have relatives with pull at the Mercury (and you know who you are).  So, we turn to TasTimes for the venue it offers for presentation and discussion.  One would think this site would be running a bit hotter, or at least warmly, on local issues this close to the election.

Then again, we might not get much of a voter turnout again this year—what was it 50.4% or so of enrolled voters?  That’s a disgraceful American-style return.  When my and Bill Harvey’s efforts were made to get the mainstream media to do public service announcements regarding who is actually eligible to vote (namely non-citizen residents, etc), those calls went unheard and unprinted save for my posting on this site.  So, thank heavens for TasTimes for providing an outlet.

Issues anyone?  Let’s start with the one about Petrol Perks that I managed to get into the public spotlight through a public question and with the on-council help of Helen Burnet.  Where is the report, why has it not come out before the election so that all candidates can comment on it?  Diluting of the message about the inappropriateness of this perk for ex-alderman of 108 litres or free petrol per month for the rest of their lives into a report should not go unchallenged and unnoticed by the media.  This issue received great press at the time, but where is the follow-up?  I for one think it should be scrapped immediately as it is an affront to ratepayers and others that perform non-council civic duties with no remuneration during or after service.

Maybe I will put a list of questions forward similar to that bloke in Launceston to all the candidates there.  Might even copy some of them to speed up the process—acknowledging I may be plagiarising someone else’s hard work—thanks in advance.

Corey Peterson
Candidate Hobart City Council (Greens)

I’d hope there were more important issues at a city council election than ex-aldermanic allowances and symbolic statements about a pulp mill at the other end of the state.

I think having around half the voters voting in local government issues in a capital city isn’t actually all that dreadful (especially compared to the feeble turnouts before postal voting), and comparing it to the turnout in American presidential or congressional elections isn’t really comparing oranges with oranges given the vast difference in media publicity between different levels of government.

Issues for me are:
1.Consultation - what we have now is a low level consultation that basically informs us when and what has been decided.  In this era of blogs, web polls and electronic comment, we have the means to engage people in a way that suits their busy lives.  Community meetings just don’t cut it any more.  I think I can comment authoritatively on this as the President of the Lenah Valley Community Association and the current Chair of the Council of Hobart Community Asociations.  We try to represent all residents, but the views we represent are really the views of the few who attend our meetings. We must find ways of engaging a broader group of society.
2. Participation - as above, we must reach more people.  I support the ‘Precinct’ model that works in Glenorchy.  There, the Council plays an active supportive role, and provides direct links to Council and officers.
3. Transparency - our planning system is shrouded in secrecy.  The debate on local developments must engage affected people earlier and encourage discussion, and perhaps mediation before sides become too entrenched in their stance. 
4. Rates - the system works against building a better Hobart.  Scrap AAV and move to Site Value Rating.
5. Electoral - Property gets a vote in Tasmania. If you own property in each municipality, you get multiple votes.  Laughable, but true.  If you think who owns most property, you’ll see a pattern about who thinks who should rule who.
6. Affordable housing in the city - this can only be done by reducing the cost of land.  See my Community Land Trust model http://www.justicetheaim.net
7. Infrastructure - can pay for itself!  The subsequent lift in land value can be tapped for community benefit.
8. Parks, gardens, pathways - all add to community amenity and are reflected in land values.  We can have it all, if we capture some of that added value.
9. Protection of hillside environments - a different type of development is needed if we are serious about Mountain Park and its environs.
10.  there are 10 more, from urban spaces for all ages to artistic and cultural experiences, but enough is enough for one post. There is a lot to be done.  Its your choice whether you think existing Aldermen have the will do ‘make it happen’.
Check out my website:  http://www.justicetheaim.net
Authorised by Leo Foley, 31 Brushy Creek Rd, Lenah Valley

Kevin,
As I said in my post, what issues do the candidates or any others think are important?  I have some basic traction in the petrol perks issue and one has to use what is available to gain some exposure, especially as I am not an incumbent.  I am open about that.  I have tried press releases on transport issues, namely bicycling and bussing, enrolling those eligible but not informed.  I am putting together a list of many more things, but something had to get the list going.

The LCC list didn’t even mention the pulp mill nor did I in my post other than as a media grabber, so not sure where you get the symbolic statements comment? 

I would like to see more discussion from the candidates about issues facing Hobart—transport, sustainable development, term limits, sponsorship of community, art, and support programs, assistance to small business and neighbourhood shops, preservation of heritage values on a macroscale as well as individual buildings, waterfront redevelopment, mountain access, bushland protection and weed management, microgeneration of electricity, water use, local food production, and aspects of good governance (including unreasonable lifetime payouts to ex-alderman).

How do we address these issues?  Educational campaigns, rebates, re-prioritising budgets, multi-council approaches, State Govt partnerships?

Cheers,
Corey Peterson
Candidate Hobart City Council (Hobart)

Corey, I reckon my reply wasn’t necessarily to you specifically (note the lack of mention of a post number) and on that basis I suspect that the pulp mill section was motivated more by Alderman Briscoe’s post (#4).  I’m not sure how Ald Briscoe expects the pulp mill issue to dominate a council election when no candidate is being reported as publicly supporting the thing.  It might swell the turnout, but why should it influence how anybody votes on the composition of their council?

I do, however, think that “term limits” is a non-issue too (or maybe just an issue I don’t agree with).  The voters can set a term limit on any alderman who has well-and-truly passed their use-by date by voting them out, and the past history of Council elections both in Hobart and elsewhere indicates that veteran aldermen do get thrown out eventually if they do nothing and neglect their voter base.

Hi Kevin,
Point taken on the referring to a post number (#15).  I think the Greens alderman have come out publicly supporting the elector poll, but not sure their press releases have ever been taken up on the issue.

I disagree with your statement that “term limtis” are a non-issue.  There are plenty of examples where a legislated term-limit system serves to refresh councils and keep them representative and accountable.  Yes, people can boot out aldermen that they think are underperforming “eventually”, but that is somewhat academic given the propensity of electors to just go with names they know (usually incumbents).  That trait makes it critical for a forced renewal.  Cities facing the changes before them cannot wait long-term for the eventuality that someone will get voted out.  One need look no further than the HCC, where we have two serving alderman that have not been able to actively participate in Council meetings for quite some time, one less active than the other.  A sense of civic duty would’ve seen these folks (at least one of them) step down during the prolonged absence and when feeling up to full participation run again, after all the elections are every two years.

They say they have a right to their seats, but just how are their constituencies being served with a long-term absence, thus effectively losing representation on Council.  Yet, these candidates will most likely get a strong vote this time around even though they have contributed little for up to a year.

Studies in the USA have been quite illustrative of how vested interest groups have fought term limits but have been rebuffed by voters in some high-profile cities.  These cities have found the resulting councils much more accountable and progressive in addressing issues faced by the particular city.

Hobart cannot wait for the “eventually”, we need to refresh this Council now, but lack of true coverage of local government issues in the media and within the general community will see many of the same old faces returned with entrenched divisions remaining as impediments to progress.

Corey Peterson
Hobart City Council candidate (Greens)

I would simply like to invite people to look at my website (at http://www.elisearcher.com) where you will find, amongst other things, my background details, endorsements from local identities, electoral information and a succinct summary of some key issues. There is also a section for feedback & comments.

Kind regards

Elise Archer
Candidate for Alderman
Hobart City Council

So Corey (#16) what councils have legislated term-limit systems? (Are there any Australian examples?) And what studies are you referring to?  Curious about all this - I have an instinctive dislike of term limits except for the presidencies of nuclear-armed superpowers, but haven’t ever looked into how widespread such systems are in local government.

I think it’s well worth looking at why council voters tend to stick with names they know.  There is an element of celebrity voting in it, but I also think there are things that many of those who fail to get elected are doing wrong when it comes to presenting themselves and their ideas. 

As for Alderman Archer’s absence, that has already received substantial publicity and the voters can decide whether it is an election issue for themselves.  I’ve noticed from other council election results that the votes for some aldermen can fall very sharply (eg Freeman losing two-thirds of his voters last time) so many in the electorate are paying some sort of attention to what is going on and not just blindly voting back the famous faces.  In my view (and please note this is my advocative view as a voter, not my analytical view as a psephologist) Alderman Archer’s health is certainly a legitimate election issue and should be again covered as such by the mainstream media.  Given that he is standing for another four-year term following a prolonged absence, it is desirable that it be clarified to the public that he will be able to serve out that full term and that he will be able to perform his duties as alderman.  Alternatively if this is not the case then the public should know to what extent his duties will be affected, or what his intentions are.  Hopefully his publicity will address this matter.  I agreed that Alderman Archer was entitled to full sympathy and appropriate leave for his illness when it arose during his term (and actually thought some of the attacks made during this time were quite mean-spirited) but he is now running for a fresh term and that seems to me to be a totally different matter.

Kevin (#18), please note that as Margot Giblin has restarted the thread on term limit questions to incumbents and candidates, I have responded there.  In short, however, while I have not canvassed the local government associations in other states I believe that term limits are rare to non-existent in Australia at this time.  This does not mean that they are not a good idea and I daresay that Australia could follow the lead of the thousands of US cities and towns that started to implement them in the 1990s.  Results seem to be that voters strongly favour them as referenda held to repeal them are usually soundly defeated in the 70-80% range.  Cities that have them have found fiscal management to have improved, more transparency results, and progressive actions more likely.

I agree that attacks on Alderman Archer while he was on sick leave were sometimes harsh, but there was a case to be made for him to resign out of civic duty or at least in the interests of his supporting voters.  It seemed obvious that his illness was going to be long-term right from the start and he could’ve resigned to re-run later.  I might even question the Council itself that it did not take advantage of powers to seek a replacement during the incapacitation.  Now that he is up for re-election, I agree that voters need to make themselves aware of whether his abilities are sufficiently recovered to fully participate in Council matters.

Lyn Archer is not only standing for alderman but for the position of Deputy Lord Mayor which, given the increase in renumeration must carry an increase in demands. My efforts to contact Archer in relation to his views are covered in Some Questions for New Candidates: http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/some-questions-for-new-candidates/
The intention was to provide a starting point of comparison,the question having been asked of incumbents in March. As Archer was then not available I had hoped to include him in this round.

Lyn Archer is indeed “standing” for Deputy Lord Mayor and did go reasonably close to winning the position last time he contested it, but I greatly doubt he will make any even remotely serious attempt to win it this time.

Formally contesting a leadership position is something sitting aldermen often do solely to boost their profile for an aldermanic bid at the same election (or sometimes for subsequent elections, although it’s commonest for aldermen to contest DLM when they are up for Alderman as well).  Not only does it give the candidate extra mentions in the press but it also gives them two bites of the cherry when it comes to candidates’ statements.

Corey (#19), what were the Council’s powers to seek a replacement for Ald Archer during his incapacitation?  Are you suggesting he should have been refused Leave of Absence?

Kevin (#21),
As I was not involved in Council review of Lyn Archer’s request for Leave of Absence, I have no way of knowing if Council knew how long Lyn would be “out of commission” and thus should have been denied the leave and asked to step down under powers Council has in the Local Govt Act 1993, Division 3, paragraph 28J “Incapacity”.  Given that leave was granted, my guess is that Council did not know how long the leave would need to be or chose not to take the harder road of asking Lyn to step down and the next candidate asked to step up and take that spot.

This is no different really than most businesses that allow employees to take leave.  Temporary replacements are found as the work still needs to be done and dumping the workload on the remaining employees (in this case other aldermen) was shortsighted, especially compounded by a second alderman that required shorter leaves of absence.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that we are a compassionate society and every effort needs to be made to assist/provide for those suffering illness and I think Aussies do that marvelously.  We also have to understand that business and Council need to get their work done as well with a full complement of aldermen if at all possible.  Someone with sick leave of a year is already half way to the next election where they can recontest.

Been off on a little holiday !
            but i notice that the site has returned to the usual browbeating, hand wringing, talkandonothing ! chardonnay set!  as usual ! trying their best to upstage one another with futile attempts at political dialogue and of course held sway by that resident would be , Dr. of all things invertebrate. sigh !  yadayadayadayadayadayada !
    s’cuse me ! while i grab a few,
              zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s !
         
                    D.D.

Re #22, there are two quite obvious differences between temporary replacements in a normal incapacity situation, and temporary replacements in a Council setting.  The first is that in a work setting if you need sick leave and a temp replacement, you can typically resume your work duties as soon as you are well.  However an Alderman who chooses to resign because of temporary incapacity will be off council until at least the next election.  The second is that in a work setting, a temp replacement ceases serving that function as soon as the person they are replacing returns.  But in a council situation they become an alderman and can use that position to campaign, as an incumbent, for the right to hold that position permanently. 

The “incapacity” provision of the Local Government Act (allowing for the removal of a councillor by reason of physical or mental incapacity) involves an application to a magistrate, concerning which I assume the burden of proof would be on the applicant.  No doubt such an order would have been vigorously defended and controversial.  Except in a clearcut and more or less permanent case (or one where a disorder was causing an alderman to behave erratically in discharging their duties) I doubt it would be a successful method of removing an alderman - furthermore I cannot remember it being used in any other Tasmanian council. 

Whether Ald Archer was being propped up by the rest of the majority grouping when it came to Leave of Absence decisions over his c.10 month indisposition has has been a matter of some speculation, but I’m not sure any of us outside observers can really know all the relevant facts.

Don Davey, cease big-noting your irrelevant existence on this thread, and start one about your own council area if you must.  You are a ridiculous babbler at the best of times and are, as usual, lowering the tone.