Kick in the shins for Freo shoe icon

OWNERS of Bob’s Shoe Store say a lack of leadership and engagement by Acting Mayor Andrew Sullivan over a parking fine is symptomatic of the deeper malaise affecting struggling businesses in Fremantle.
Luca James Lee, son of the owner of the iconic store, told StreetWise he met the South Ward councillor in March this year after having been issued with a parking infringement. The $80 fine was issued while he, his father and two removalists hauled 30 years worth of office equipment from the Manning building to nearby Bannister Street.
On the last run of the day, the moving van had to be parked adjacent to the designated loading zones because they had been occupied by the same vehicles of another business for a number of hours.
Cr Sullivan had previously advised in writing and verbally at a meeting with Luca and his father  that he had lodged a review of the fine and was to meet with the City of Fremantle CEO to discuss it.
Five months later, after no reminders or correspondence from either Cr Sullivan or the City, Luca said he received a final demand notice in late July and days later a letter from the Justice Department’s fines enforcement registry ordering him to pay the parking fine, now $205, or have his driver’s licence suspended or property seized.
On September 29, acting CEO Paul Garbett (obviously unaware the infringement had been referred to State enforcement) wrote to Luca to say, “the fact that it appears to be the first time you have been issued with an infringement we are happy to consider an appeal”.
Luca says though the issue of the fine was important and needed to be resolved, “the point of the meeting with Cr Sullivan was to address the larger issues affecting Bob’s and other traders in the CBD, namely anti-social behaviour, the significant decline of retail business in the CBD, the City’s economic development initiatives and City parking policies that are unnecessarily aggressive and do not serve the interests of the retailers or their customers”. Bob’s has been selling footwear in the port city for 32 years.
“During our meeting, Sullivan said he had spoken directly to the parking inspector who said if he had known we owned Bob’s Shoe Store, he wouldn’t have issued the infringement,” he recalls. “My father pointed out that there needs to be a level of humanity and discretion on the part of City officers, which was not afforded to us and which should be embodied in the City’s policies and culture.”
Luca said the Manning building has only two loading zones servicing about 50 businesses which means on any given day delivery drivers will very likely cop a fine as inspectors do their rounds. The bay Luca had to park beside during the move was occupied most of the week by another business.

Struggle Street

Mr Lee says “The redevelopment of the Manning Buildings has been done very well – however, a shiny new facade does nothing to assist the struggling businesses with empty streets and would-be shoppers driven away by the anti-social behaviour and over zealous parking inspectors and policies”.
Mr Garbett’s reply was in response to a scathing letter Luca sent on September 28 to Cr Sullivan and CC’d to all elected members including candidates in the local government election on October 16: “You (Cr Sullivan) agreed with us and stated that there must be a human component to the policing of any city regulations and that given the circumstances, the infringement should not have been issued in the first place.
 You went on to state that you had already looked into the matter and that as this was a ‘first time offence’, the notice could be reduced to a ‘warning’.
“I wasn’t happy with you being able to square this away as an ‘offence’ and requested that you engage the City of Fremantle CEO to correctly withdraw the notice and provide coaching and policy adjustment to parking officers to prevent similar instances from occurring with other Fremantle traders. You confirmed that you were to meet with the City of Fremantle CEO the following day and would provide an update to us immediately thereafter.
“Furthermore, you expressed that small business provides the valuable lifeblood of the city and that you well understood the challenges involved. You offered to have two members of the City of Fremantle’s ‘economic development team’ put in contact with us to inform us of the work that they had been doing for a number of years to make Fremantle a more vibrant precinct and to assist us in ‘strategising’.”
Neither Cr Sullivan nor members of the economic development team ever made contact. Nor have any elected members except mayoral candidate and South Ward Cr Marija Vujcic who contacted Luca after she received a copy of the letter to Mr Garbett. Cr Sullivan responded by going online stating he was only a ‘conduit’ in the appeal process and assumed staff had dealt with it.
Luca adds in his letter: “Your appalling lack of engagement and obvious lack of concern for the ramifications of your failure to act is a disgusting indictment of the ‘leadership’ that Fremantle finds itself lumped with by default. The lack of leadership is abundantly clear from a walk through the empty streets of the CBD, stepping over used syringes and human excrement and while local businesses continue to struggle, functionaries such as yourself find time to instead prioritise planting trees and waxing lyrical about the Civic Centre’s new lawn.
“This matter will be progressed to a formal complaint with the City of Fremantle and to the Local Government Standards Panel.”
Mr Garbett replied: “As the review of parking infringements is a matter dealt with by the City’s administration, not by elected members of the Council, it is appropriate that I respond as Acting CEO. With regard to the parking infringement, and after reviewing the photos associated with it, I can confirm that it was an offence under the City’s Parking Local Law.”
StreetWise has screenshots of Cr Sullivan stating he had lodged a review of the fine with City administrative staff, however Mr Garbett’s response indicates that no review ever existed – with him suggesting that Luca lodge one at this stage – some 209 days after his engagement with the Acting Mayor.
Luca replied to Mr Garbett’s offer, stating: “I find it troubling that you have chosen to step in and provide a response on behalf of the Acting Mayor of Fremantle, as our engagement on the various issues raised was conducted solely with Mr Sullivan and firm commitments made by Mr Sullivan to us are still outstanding.
“Your response to my letter failed to address any of the concerns raised and misses the point completely. Engagement on the various issues with Mr Sullivan was to address our concerns with the deeper malaise affecting Fremantle and the decline that the CBD has experienced.”
Luca told StreetWise: “The landscape of the Fremantle CBD has changed and doing business here has become increasingly difficult. Bob’s has been a much loved Freo institution for over 30 years and it is a real slap in the face to be treated with the level of disregard and disrespect shown to us by an elected member who derives an allowance from rates that we have diligently paid for decades.”
Cr Sullivan told StreetWise: “Mr Lee’s correspondence is being handled by the CEO. Given Mr Lee advised he was lodging a formal complaint to the Department of Local Government, it would be inappropriate for me to remain engaged with him over the matter.”
StreetWise replied: “Tx Andrew, then why are you still posting on the issue?”
Cr Sullivan: “To correct misinformation.”
StreetWise: “From?”