By XAVIER SMERDON
A RIFT appears to have formed between several Wyndham councillors after their latest meeting went into overtime amid objections and allegations councillors missed important briefings.
A total of 15 points of order, the equivalent of an objection, were raised throughout the night by different councillors who had taken issue to something that one of their colleagues had said.
Councillors Intaj Khan and Glenn Goodfellow, who both represent the Harrison Ward, raised most of the points of order against each other.
The four hour meeting was so chaotic that Wyndham resident Noel Cook described the council as a “Mickey Mouse club”.
“It was like Disneyland without all the slippery slides,” Mr Cook said.
During a debate about the closure of the Wyndham Leisure and Events Centre gym Cr Goodfellow questioned why Cr Khan needed more information on the issue.
“We’ve had numerous briefings on this matter and perhaps if Cr Khan bothered to turn up to one we would not have this point of order,” Cr Goodfellow said.
Several objections were made in regards to Cr Goodfellow misleading the public, but the majority of these were rejected or even ignored by Mayor Heather Marcus, who was chairing the meeting.
Cr Marcus later told Star that her fellow councillors were still able to work together despite their differences.
“I’m happy to see a good debate and the thing about our council is that we all leave in good spirits and we were all laughing by the time we left,” Cr Marcus said.
“Some councillors actually thought it was a very good meeting because of the debates we had.”
But Cr Khan, a Labor Party supporter, said he felt like Cr Goodfellow, a Liberal Party supporter, was bringing his own political views into the meeting.
“It seems like he’s coming from a Liberal point of view because he tried to defend the Liberal Party on issues like the fire levy,” Cr Khan said.
“He was attacking me to try to stop me from speaking. I think he acted in an inappropriate way.
“But we have no problems now. Whether we like it or not we have to work in the same chamber.”
Cr Goodfellow denied there was a rift between himself and Cr Khan.
“It was robust debate, which is a good thing,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“We have different backgrounds and different views but on the topics that were up there on the night I think we needed some debate.
“There’s no rift, it’s just democracy at work.”
