BY MATTHEW RUFUS 8/10/2008 2:13:00 PM
New Blue Mountains mayor Adam Searle will revisit one of the previous council's most contentious decisions, seeking to save Lawson's Community Hall from being turned to rubble.
In correspondence to councillors obtained by the Gazette, Clr Searle flagged a move to reverse demolition plans for the historic Mechanic's Institute at council's October 21 meeting.
If successful, council would ask the RTA whether a rejected offer to widen the Great Western Highway without razing the building was still on the table.
It's the latest twist in a drama-laden battle over the fate of the hall, a saga which seemingly came to a head last April when the then mayor Jim Angel used his casting vote to approve the demolition.
In light of the impending rescission motion, some hall supporters keen to see it retained for community use have already foreshadowed victory. On an internet blog linked to The Association of Concerned Mid Mountains Residents (ACMMR), a recent post declared "the hall has been saved".
Speaking to the Gazette, Clr Searle was less emphatic in his predictions.
"You can't be certain, but I made a commitment at the time and during the campaign that if I was re-elected I would seek to revisit that decision and it's now a matter for the new council," he said.
His ward colleague, Clr Chris Van der Kley, has been a staunch advocate for knocking down the building and said the belated rescission motion came as no surprise.
"I will not be changing my position on the hall," he told the Gazette. "But I do believe a decision like this shouldn't be made without the new councillors being fully briefed by council staff and the general manager on the implications to council's budget . . . and the highway widening."
Clr Searle's bold manoeuvre could signal rocky times ahead for the two major parties, with their 'loose' Liberal/Labor alliance lying in tatters following last Tuesday's mayoral election.
Putting his hand up for the top job, Clr Van der Kley was defeated in a 7-5 open ballot vote which saw the Greens side with Labor. On the deputy mayoral front he was again left out in the cold, with Labor (excluding Clr Mark Greenhill who abstained) awarding newcomer and Ward 1 independent Janet Mays the numerical advantage.
This marked a departure from the last council where the Liberals supported the ALP's Jim Angel for mayor in exchange for the deputy mayor's position.
"We were hoping for a shared position, and at the end of the day Clr Searle did a deal with the Greens and he's the one that has to wear that, not me," Clr Van der Kley told the Gazette.
But Clr Searle shot down the assertion that any agreement with the Greens had been brokered.
Meanwhile Clr Van der Kley was adamant his lack of support for the mayoralty had not brought about bad blood .
"I wish the new mayor and deputy mayor well for the next 12 months and I'm not bitter about it," he said.
"I'm there to represent the community, I'm not there for party politics."
Clr Searle said his victory was "an enormous honour and a huge responsibility". As a barrister working in Sydney's legal district, he said he would do his best to ensure his day job did not interfere with the new leadership role.
Holding onto the mayoralty for as long as his predecessor was not an achievement he intended to rival, he said.
"(Being mayor is) not a toy or a prize or a token. It's a very serious undertaking and I sought it on that basis - to provide some fresh leadership but also some sense of continuity," he said.
"I'm hopeful that all of the councillors, regardless of their political affiliations, will be able to work together in the community's interests."
Having been catapulted from community campaigner to deputy mayor in the space of a year, Clr Mays said she was not daunted by the leap.
"I have 20 years corporate experience which I bring to the table . . . I think it's going to have its challenges and it's going to require me to be very studious in my approach," she said.
"There's a lot of work to do, but we have good people around the council table to deliver the outcomes the community needs."
Councillors Greenhill, McCallum, McLaren, Searle, Clark, Mays and Gibbs voted for Searle. Councillors Creed, Myles, Van der Kley, Luchetti and Hamilton voted for Van der Kley.
In the deputy mayoral election, clrs McCallum, McLaren, Luchetti, Searle, Clark, Mays and Gibbs voted for Mays, while Clr Greenhill abstained from the vote due to concerns the two senior-most council positions would be held by Upper Mountains councillors. Clrs Creed, Myles, Van der Kley and Hamilton voted for Van der Kley.