Freo councillor breached for ‘offensive’ parking post

COMMENT: Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge just couldn’t let it go.
In a slap down decision, the local government standards panel found South Ward Cr Marijia Vujcic breached the Act last year when she published a post the mayor found offensive, “regarding a car parking issue in the City”.
Cr Vujcic has 28 days to appeal, the panel’s decision posted today to the City of Fremantle website at http://bitly.ws/MUDM.
City staff appear eager to have Cr Vujcic apologise at the full council meeting this Wednesday, the apology to the mayor, who made the complaint, and CEO Glen Dougall to be published in 10-point font in local print and online publications and Cr Vujcic sentenced to seven hours ‘community leadership’ training.
But the devil is in the detail in this parking tale reported by StreetWise in August last year at http://bitly.ws/MUIM.
The mayor’s complaint is the culmination of nearly two years of bungling administration in which the City allowed Japingka Gallery staff to park unlawfully behind the Old Unions Store on High Street despite complaints from one of its longest running tenants Port Jarrah Furniture (http://bitly.ws/MVkz and http://bitly.ws/MVuC).
Why did the City not intervene earlier and avoid the wreckage left in the wake of its poor management and lack of leadership? Why did the City, and elected members, ignore repeated complaints, supplied with photographs, when it could have achieved a speedy resolution by enforcing the law.
“What arseholes,” Port Jarrah owner Clint Clarke told StreetWise today. “It’s wrong, this went on for ages. They ignored me. I went to two councillors. I went to the CEO and mayor. Only Marija stood up for me.
“The City reimbursed me three months which proved they were wrong.”
Any apology? “Are you kidding, I asked for one,” he said, having asked publicly at the August 24, 2022 council meeting at http://bitly.ws/MVcb.
Mr Clarke reached out to StreetWise after getting no traction with the City, the publications and accompanying photographs of unlawfully parked vehicles triggering a storm of social media accusations of favouritism in which online posts were traded by both Cr Vujcic and the mayor.
Muddied further by the revelation that one of Japingka’s serial offenders was the mayor’s mum, the mayor took to instagram (opposite) to call out her ‘attackers’, only to further distract the issue of the City having failed Mr Clarke: “I was deeply disappointed to learn that Mum has been subjected to public and sustained criticism about a Council administrative matter from a neighbouring business owner to her workplace, and worse still, from one of our own Councillors.”
The panel has decided to make an example of Cr Vujcic’s conduct.
The panel members included chair Tim Fraser (husband of Labor minister Rita Saffioti); Ms Emma Power; and Mandurah Cr Peter Rogers.