Inevitably, our mayor-elect’s playing to the cheap seats in the election has been picked up by the national media, led by The Guardian … and he has already made a damaging issue out of a non-issue … nationally.
Will TwoNames Thompson be worried by all this and figure it might all be too hard? Not a chance, he has reason to stay at all costs – literally . The Magpie gets out his crystal ball and prognosticates on likely scenarios as we move on into our new Frontierland …
The Bulletin iditor does a Lord Ronald from Stephen Leacock’s Gertrude the Governess . She said nothing; she flung himself from the room, flung herself upon her horse and rode madly off in all directions. The ‘Pie has a shot at sorting out what’s going on in the top paddock.
It’s a News Corpse thing: the Cairns Post out-does the Townsville Astonisher in the creative use of the word ‘alleged’. It’s belly laugh territory, apparently admitting they can’t believe their own eyes.
Advertising spin … what are they really saying?
Show ground boss Chris Condon, a strident critic of our former mayor, was about to pull down his prominent anti-Hill election sign, then thought, no, he’d better make sure the public was up with the situation. So he made a subtly addition as his own personal exclamation mark..
Indeed our former mayor, greatly smarting from her comprehensive rejection by the city, may soon be taking some grim satisfaction in the corner into which she has forced Townsville electors. Because, due to the withdrawal of Fran O’Callaghan, the ‘anybody but Jenny’ vibe benefitted what polite people might refer to as a morally challenged man … a person who, to The Magpie, is simply a con man who has lucked out and found his main chance.
Last week, The ‘Pie reported he had been pilloried by certain people who should know better who, in their relief of departure have been blind to what has arrived. ‘Give him a go’ and ‘stop grizzling’ they scolded. The fact remains that there is no choice but to wait and see what transpires with Troy Thompson, our accidental mayor, but that doesn’t mean not using past historical facts to red flag what may await in our future.
And The ‘Pie didn’t have to wait long to be justified when the Guardian, amongst others, took a sudden and not flattering look at Townsville’s LG election. In the article, Thompson suggested our drinking water was unpalatable, a claim based a fleeting incident some time ago caused by an unavoidable technical glitch. Not that that was mentioned, according to him, we just had shitty water. Another reason for Townsville to shine on the national stage, eh, TwonNames? And them the Guardian reported this (as did the Bulletin):
Guardian Australia has seen messages on an encrypted app where an MPT member announced the group was “keen” to “support” Thompson and other independent candidates who had attended their meetings.
“In this election, we need to mobilise all our resources to help these independents get into council,” they wrote.
“With the right independents in council we have a chance to address … fluoride, 5G, cashless initiatives, smart city plans, WHO/WEF/UN control.”
The member then laid out a “coordinated approach”, asking for volunteers to attend polling booths, stand with signs, hand out how-to-vote cards, do letter box drops and act as scrutineers to oversee the vote count.
None of this, like most of his history of failed ventures, half-truths and employment history, was known to voters before the election, because in part, the Townsville either chose not to broach aspects on Thompson’s past or even his then current campaign, or they were simply just too lazy to have a dig around. But given the choice of the lesser evil, it probably didn’t matter, we wanted Jenny gone no matter what … and we’ve got what.
Then in the past day or so, we’ve got this, as written up in Nest comments.
Well, fuckin’ DUH!! Understanding it as part of your platform might have given us a little more confidence.
Apart from some astute Nest readers NO ONE, certainly not the Bulletin, ever questioned how a city deeply in debt could afford to cut into a basic source of income with a rates freeze over four years which would cost around $200m.
AND NOW OUR JUVENILE, DUMB-ARSED MEDIA KIDDIES DON’T EVEN ASK THE MOST OBVIOUS QUESTION WHEN THIS CHARLATAN JUSTIFIES HIS WALK BACK OF HIS KEY VOTE-CATCHING PROMISE ‘BECAUSE OF INFORMATION FROM HIS PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOOKED AT THE SITUATION’.
THE QUESTION: Just when did you get this ‘information, and what was in it to make you now renege on your promise that you did not know before?
When did this suddenly emerge?
Even before you’ve set foot in the office, and you a supposed accountant?
You’d be justified in asking the uni where you studied accountancy for your money back.
Mr Thompson, The Magpie states categorically you were deliberately lying on a populist platform throughout your campaign, because the maths showing the impossibility of your feel good freeze was there for all to see all along.
Sir, even beyond the accepted vagueness of political language, you are a STRAIGHT-UP LIAR … and a not very good one at that.
Some may be happy with having a proven liar and con artist as mayor, but The Magpie never will be. If you make a go of it, Lazarus will be envious.
Then The Dumbest Move Of All, Applauded By The Dumbest People Out There
He stamped his foot, went blue in the face and said he, as mayor, he would not talk to the Townsville Bulletin because of their reporting on his background. In the best sad laugh of all, before he would ‘play speaks’ again with the paper, he wanted them to show ‘some decency’. Coming from this galoot, that’s a thigh slapper. This bloke does not hear what he’s saying a lot of the time, but in this instance, he should be told by the electorate the error of this bombastic edict. It is archetypal of a con man found out. The ‘Pie has no brief for the Bulletin but. itv is what it is and cutting it out of passing on civic leadership information is just so deeply dumb. Or are you planning your own paper? You tried that once and look what happened.
A newly elected mayor announcing he will to talk to what remains, unfortunately, the main media outlet in this city, is an insight to The Magpie’s deep. unrest about this deeply disturbed man. He talks and thinks much like a Year 8 Kirwan High School student who has just won a prissy, pursed-lips essay comp on “What I Would Do if I Was Mayor’. This is not the sort of leadership this city requires, and while he is probably unaware that he is in for a veeerrry steep learning curve, one wonders if reality will actually intervene.
So Will He Be Able To Stay The Course?
That depends on a number of factors, but the main one is his control over his self discipline and emotions, which his history shows can be capricious.
But Troy Thompson won’t be lacking motivation to stay in office – he has around 250,000 per annum reasons to stay on, along with car, computer, phone, perks and expense acct. Apart from Prins Ralston, few conmen around this town have hit such a jackpot, and he won’t let it go easily. And even this blowhard is sure to pull his head in when he looks at his first pay slip.
Possibly because of the massive relief of being rid of Jenny and the machine behind her, there are quite a few who are pillorying The Magpie for his resolute stand against this proven charlatan. ‘At least give him a go’ is the cry, along with some stronger personal advice to the old bird Given his now-revealed history, and his just established lies about rates during the campaign (that echoes Hill on water Rates freeze, what rates freeze, there will be no rates freeze), giving Thompson ‘a go’ is akin to giving a paedophile priest ‘a go’ when he wants to take his choir boys to the swimming hole for a skinny dip. Like Father O’Phelan, Troy Thompson needs constant supervision.
So Here’s How The Magpie Reckons Things Will Unfold.
Will the required supervision happen – yes – and will it work – we’ll see?
Much depends on the new chums (and the old ones, too) elected to the what was previously the Hermit Kingdom chamber. There are a few in the new bunch with experience in the arcane rituals of local government’s mind-bending procedurals, Which on suspects is going as a nasty shock to ‘I’m gunna shake the tree’ Thompson. Whether their agenda and decisions are any more sane than TwoNames is a big question, but one thing is for sure, this time around, it will not be a one person band conducting an aerobics arm-raising class. Good or bad? Who know, but we’ll be watching.
So who’s got our backs, then?
… Meet The Fokkers … And We’re Not Talking Dutch Planes or Robert De Niro Films.
Whether our new-look council turns out to be good fokkers or bad fokkers is yet to be seen, but FYI, here’s your line-up.
So we have a new-look council, hopefully with a new deal in more open governance for the city.
But there’s a big irony looming here. Mayor TwoNames arrogantly suggested he would ‘coach new councillors around to his way of doing things‘. Our only hope as a community is that it will be the other way around, Thompson is almost certainly going to the one being coached, both by independent-minded councillors and the regulation-experienced council staff and executives. The Magpie goes into uncontrollable fits of laughter imagining when TwoNames Thompson has his first encounters with the TCC Mr Pooters. Watching legal shill Tony Blight trying to explain things to him would be an unforgettable treat for any fly on the wall. The new bloke clearly hasn’t a clue about the limitations on both his powers and his behaviour.
Somehow, one feels sure he’s about to find out.
And We’ll Let Bentley Have The Last Say …
While Benters believes we should give TwoNames Thompson a bit of go before getting stuck in, he is sure that the Jenny’s famous mayoral dartboard will remain in place.
The bloke at the door is probably trying to work out which name to use.
“I Did But see Her Passing By, But I Shall Love Her Til I Die.”
Astonisher iditor Gas Carvey channeled Ming Menzies welcoming Queen Liz way back, when she penned the most lop-sided and irresponsible portrait of our vanquished mayor this week.
Garvey seems likeable goof … perhaps a lonely person caught up in the Peter Principle … obviously has trouble linking two thoughts together. Her paean of praise to Mayor Mullet, which ignores a hell of a lot of warts, then segues into putting a dainty boot in new mayor TwoNames Thompson, demanding he keep his promise of ‘FULL transparency and accountability for the past, present and future’. A promise you yourself are obviously not willing to apply to Jenny Hill’s past, Ms Garvey.
You’re a dill, dearie, but we luv ya.
It’s A News Ltd Thing – Allegedly
The ‘Pie’s war on the inane juvenile use of ‘alleged’ in stories – dictated by clenched-buttocked Sydney house lawyers, is well known around here, but it seems the Cairns Post out-does the Townsville Astonisher in creative use of this much abused word. It’s got to belly laugh territory, now apparently admitting they can’t even believe their own eyes.
First this:
‘Allegedly stealing a patrol car’?!? Hellllooo.
Technology or whatever won’t enable The ‘Pie to show the video (it’s on the Bulletin website) but it shows a bloke chucking rocks, prancing about and then smashing the window of an empty police car and driving off in it. YOU ACTUALLY SEE THIS HAPPENING. OR MAYBE YOU THINK YOU DO, because it’s only alleged the person … unnamed when the video was posted … actually did what you saw him do.
‘The wallopers were no fucking help in clarifying things … some stuff is top secret, ya bknow.
Let The ‘Pie help out. In order, you left the keys in the ignition, and not enough.
Some Forgot To Forget It If It’s Flooded
Errant golf balls are the only things trapped by water hazards at Rowes Bay. . Filling out your scorecard while driving can end a round very quickly. No one hurt, unless you count egos.
More Problem Advertising
Plant based and entertaining? This is clearly false advertising as well as being a glaring oxymoron.
In The Magpie’s experience, the only plant based platter that could be remotely entertaining is a bag of cookies whose a main ingredient is what the wallopers call ‘green leafy material’.
And speaking of confusing advertising, is this praise or a government travel warning – did we top Gaza and The Ukraine for recommended ‘short stays’?
Seems to be saying ‘you won’t want to be sticking around for long up here.’ Of course, if you stay at the pictured donga on Chris Morris’s Pelorous Island, your stay is likely to be shortish, given it’s $20,000 a night. P.T Barnum, eat ya heart out .
In The US, It’s Now Shaping Up As The Republicans Versus The Trumplicans …
… and the Republicans are jumping ship in droves. Many have at last found a cowardly voice, but in every case, so late in the day it is all about arse-saving than altruism.
As the historic first-ever criminal trial of a President now just a couple of weeks away, and further indictments to be heard down the line, the ever increasing rift between the Republicans and Trumplicans has been accelerated. A whole raft of turncoats – previous appointees – many of whom suddenly found themselves fire-ees, along with self-interested political fellow travellers who fell out with an autocratic maniac. The bragging ‘billionaire’ has suddenly taken on a new look as a financial straw man, who has had to scramble to raise a court-ordered bond to stave off the seizure of assets. The Twitterverse has been set alight with joksters, one introducing us to Don Poorleone.
But while all that unfolds, Joe Biden is coming in for some very pointed ribbing. We start this week;’s gallery with this rib-tickler.
……………….
That’s it for a helluva week, comments have gone berserk so why don’t you, its free and easy.
If The ‘Pie has missed out replying to some in his email in-tray, apologies, it’s been a slog keeping up with all this, will try and catch up soon. .The DONATE button to help out is below.
It hasn’t just been new Mayor / Councillors ( note only 2 Team Hill Councillor contested survived ) no challenges Suzy + Kurt but CEO Prins has been busy promoting himself . CEO Magazine Prins expose ( did ratepayers pay ? ) in 4 yrs Townsville is bursting with $25 bil worth of infrastructure thanks to his tireless work . Strange in the fact he is elusive and most business people in the City havnt seen him yet he has taken Townsville from ” Grim to Business hub ” . Copy emailed to the Pie . I do know based on Council announcements there has been a $74.3 mil blow out Haughton 2 yrs ago and another $55 mil he was forced to cough up after questions from Fran . $5 mil blow out on $7.5 mil Thuringowa library under his guidance . Ceo hard copy magazine should be placed in the fiction section of Council libraries ..
That article … really an updating and polishing of Prins’ cv … is a clear indication of intent from our CEO that’s he’s ready to shove off before he gets the heave-ho. The CEO Magazine article … virtually a dictated paean of selective self-praise… has all the investigative credibility of a Bulletin article about, say, Brumme-Smith and TEL.
Special photographs reinforce the ‘I’m available’ message behind the waffle.
And underlining that theory, Prins and wife Leanne purchased a free standing house in Petrie Terrace Qld 4000 March last year for $1.960M
(With Stamp Duty, well over 2M.)
The ‘Pie is told the property is a very modern 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car home on just under 300m2, and is just 250m to Roma Street Parkland.
Appears will be the Ralston family’s principal place of residence.
Castle Hill place not on market yet but watch this space !
Good to see the part-time CEO had time for some mug shots for the published article. Then again, he always has time for his personal business interests and anything other than being CEO of TCC. What a joke, this clown hasn’t contributed jack shit to infrastructure projects, especially $25b worth. A true snake oil salesman. Let’s see if Twonames has the balls and the numbers to send the stinky CEO on his way. If he does, there will be much jubilation around the TCC water cooler.
Three Team OvertheHill councillors. Don’t forget the big Greeney drip.
Four team hill, ‘lil radiance’ got back with a fright.
Was almost just a flash in the pan.
Mr. Pie, I think you have alienated a significant portion of your readership.
I refer to Grade 8 Kirwan High School students.
What is more disappointing than Troy Thompson being elected Mayor – is that not one businessman/woman stood up for this city to represent us (except Fran – a woman battling a deadly debilitating disease …) Not everyone is in a position to run for mayor but over decades in this city – Businesses were built and profits made. This election was an opportunity to give back. Where is the Chamber of Commerce on this? I don’t always subscribe to the “you get the representatives you deserve” – but in this case I do.
An old Greek bloke agrees with you.
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
Plato, ancient Greek Philosopher
The Chamber of Commerce is busy having a Chamber Coffee.
Better a chamber coffee than a chamber pot.
Its been said repeatedly here over the years that to un against the Mullet a candidate needs to have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Any business person who stood against her would have been cut off at the knees from any level of government work and face incredible levels of regulatory scrutiny regardless of winning or losing.
Perhaps the next four years of twonames is what is needed to prompt a real mayoral contender
Agree but not with your timeframe … unless twoNames really pulls his head in and becomes a reasonable operators, we need someone to stand up within a year. Any longer and the councillors elect one of from their number for the remainder of the term. Mayor Greany!?! YEEARGHHHH !!!
Magpie, you may not have much time for Ma Greaney but she pulled 50% of the primary vote in North Ward, Belgian Gardens and South Townsville booths and near to that in pre-poll. She polled most poorly in Garbutt, where crime issues most acute, and low 40’s on Maggie, whose population is undoubtedly the most fickle. To pull such numbers on the back of the anti-Hill sentiment is no mean feat and would suggest she’s a pretty effective Councillor. And from what I recall of her voting record in council, she’s no Jenny lap dog. Doug K is no fan but being on his wrong side would be seen by many as a positive. Does she have the chops for a bigger role? Like old TwoNames that may be a wait and see but at least she doesn’t carry his baggage.
The ‘Pie has always been a bit ambivalent about Ma Greaney, mainly because of her Team Hill tag. The Nest is in Division 3 and The ‘Pie has noted a lot of council activity across the division over the past couple of years, so it would be churlish to suggest it had nothing to do with the local councillor. Had one email matter some time ago, and one matter exposed in The Nest blog, and action was taken pretty quickly. Albeit ultimately inadequate.
So only had a raised eyebrow because of Hill, no other issues with her.
Pie, Gas Carvery is an idiot of extreme proportions. Firstly, with her continual nauseating kissing of Jenny Hills pimply ass. Secondly, issuing an all out war against Twonames is a childish and spoiled brat manoeuvre. She is also a hypocrite as her newspaper refused to address certain matters that involved Hill in the past, yet for some reason she is now willing to hold Twonames to account. There must be something in the Townsville water that affects our newspaper iditor’s and sub-standard reporters?
The Pie is gradually modifying his view on Ms Carvey as simply someone promoted above her competence level (The Peter Principle) and is floundering without an experienced mentor to assist her. In recent years, such mentors have been thin on the ground in the slimmed-down avarious News business model, giving rise to more powerful tunnel vision advertising executives able to dictate content … including a political perspective if it serves their purpose. Juggling the task of managing people, managing content, getting the best she can out of poorly trained and inadequate staff, and setting a clearly defined statement of where the paper stands in the community while all the time seeking respect from her colleagues is a bloody big ask. Thrown in at the deep end comes to mind.
Fluoride apparently, and it bounces off the 5G radio waves.
Watch the banning of Chemtrails over Townsville.
Looking around at our current situation,too late.
I’m drawing on the assumption of future conflict, and continuation of the Team Hill mob mentality.
Wrong assumption, perhaps.
Watch Team Hill supplant Twonames with a unilateral vote of no-confidence.
AMG would willing (convince other people to) scratch out a few eyeballs for the mayoralty…
But again, you’re being very simplistic, you make the difficult sound simple … there has to be a solid reason for a vote of no=confidence, and I’mp retty sure it cannot be on past action before being elected, unless it was major hitherto unknown criminal matter.
BTW save The ‘Pie looking it up, does a vote of No Confidence require 100%, 70% or what?
Pie, you sure can write, but your maths is needs some work.
There is no way “rates freeze over four years which would cost around $200m.”
Total general rates income for TCC is around $200m p.a. were our rates really going to go up that much?
According to our incoming mayor, somewhere in that region, yes.
Townsville
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Mayor-elect Troy Thompson isn’t sure if his four-year rates promise will work, saying it could put Townsville City Council in a lot of trouble financially.
“Mr Thompson told media on Thursday that he wanted to go ahead with his promises, but it may not be possible.
“We have to understand first our financial position,” Mr Thompson said.
“I’ve already had three people look at it and our position isn’t great as a city, so we’ve got to look at that very seriously and start moving forward with that as a background.
“I still want to go full fledge on all of my pledges over the four year period.
“Right now if I freeze rates for the next 12 months that’s going to cost us $40m, we potentially could be in a lot of trouble financially.”
Perhaps The ‘Pie took some mathematical liberty when, according to Mr Thompson the annual loss of a freeze would be at least $40m, with the loss compounding up towards $200m. If that’s wrong, please take it up with Mr TwoNames, and while you’re there, ask him how come he didn’t know all this during the campaign. And if he did, why did he keep saying he’d freeze rates?
Maybe it was a simple as a 5% increase a year by 4 years on a $200m rate base = $40m?
These are TwoNames words:
“Right now if I freeze rates for the next 12 months that’s going to cost us $40m, we potentially could be in a lot of trouble financially.”
But mate, The Magpie freely admits, when it comes to maths, the old bird feels like Paddy when the foreman pointed to two shovels against a wall and told him to take his pick.
Very confusing.
Fledge on a pledge?
Most think that ‘rates’ is the total of everything (the total) that appears on the so-called’ rates notice. In fact, rates is actually a small portion of the entire notice. Do we assume that TwoNames is referring to that which is titled ‘rates’ or is he including water and sewerage, state govt charges, and other peripheral charges that add up to post $1,000? I think most are expecting it to be the whole bill which I don’t believe the he has control to do so.
Surely it’s got to be rates, how do you stop this State Government increasing costs, they do it with everything.
When News Ltd finally turns the Astonisher into a Courier Mail liftout, the editor could get a job as a spin doctor in Donald Trump’s media team.
The Astonisher’s recent editorials, and the paper’s glowing no-warts tribute to Jenny Hill, bring to mind Trump’s famous invention, “alternate facts”.
The most recent, and hilarious, came in last Saturday’s editorial.
Talking about the makeup of the new council the editorial said:
“It is unclear at this stage if any alliances will be formed to vote in blocks, or if it will continue to be each councillor voting for themselves.”
Even Trump would be proud of that one.
Doug you are nothing more than a deranged fool with Trump Derangement Syndrome. Pretty sad as I used to enjoy your scribblings when you were at the Bulletin.
Jonny,you obviously haven’t kept up with your demented brethren in the States … they’ve large dropped the ill-thought out phrase ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ for those with a clear vision of reality and who threatened Trumplicans’ delusions. The reason it was dropped was because this clumsy phrase was widely interpreted to mean a condition from which Trump suffered. Ironically, so true.
I believe a lot of the waste and poor financial decisions in Council is caused by by the current CEO and his buddies. I am not happy about the new Mayor (or the old one) but if we get a new CEO out this crazy situation we might actually see the council and it’s staff being productive and proactive instead of being jerked around like puppets.
Based on history, my politically uneducated opinion is that within two years something will happen (what that will be I have no idea, just some crazy ‘shit’), and we will be looking at a new Mayor. Just a prediction. I can’t for the life of me see anything to suggest that he is able to commit to and stick anything out. Other than maybe the ADF there has been lots of jobs and business ventures but nothing seems to have been a success. Hope I’m proved wrong for the sake of Townsville community …….
TwoNames should get a bit of advice from the former (former) Logan City Council who were sacked for sacking the CEO incorrectly 6 (?) years ago. Perhaps that is what the Mullet is hoping for, to give her another shot at the big job??
Unsure if I have this right. If we voted for the Mullet, we were dullards because we would get more maladministration. If we voted for Twonames, we were idiots because of his past multiple deceptions and hidden agenda. If we voted for Harry, were stupid because he wouldn’t have handled the pressure. If we didn’t vote/voted informal, all of the above.
So, it all our fault that Townsville will/perhaps go down the gurgler.
Being unable to accutately predict the future, as evident from my belief that she would get back in again, I can’t say. The past is static and we can’t change it, while the future is dynamic for us to develop into better outcomes.
We can try to minimise possible future damage by publicly questioning decisions that may harm the citizens of this city.
I stand ready for another blast of wrath and scorn.
Nope, no wrath and scorn from The ‘Pie(this time, anyway), that pretty much sums up the circumstances and choices we ended up facing, although the judgements of people’s intelligence is entirely your own. And it’s nice to know that you agree with The Magpie on the way forward, eternal vigilance.
As to your assertion that the past is static and cannot be changed, a certain Mr D Trump would like a quiet word with you heh heh heh.
LOL, really, LOL..
It’s the Pirate’s Paradox where a pirate has a gangrenous leg which will kill him if not removed, but if the surgeon does take the leg off the pirate will only have a dodgy wooden leg. There is no good option, just an option which will stop him dying slowly and in pain of gangrene.
Townsville has gotten rid of what was seen as the poison slowly killing us, but we traded it for a lump of wood. Maybe we can trade up later?
The Mullet and Ma Greaney were seen deep in conversation over a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio. Will be interesting to see if Mullet continues to pull the string of the Team Hill councillors.
Rodent, maybe they just like to get on the piss together? Nothing wrong with that!
Checks out.
None of you can predict the future of Townsville under the Mayor-elect and the new Councillors, like I can!
Ok, here we go………er, um, geeze, I’ll come back to you all when I can………:)
Having left the council I can say that the main problem financially is the cover up of where money was being spent and I was just a lower based worker. But I did know that budgets were always manipulated to suit the big promises like Houghton and landsdown. We were always told this when we were looking for new equipment that was still running when Les Tyrell was mayor. Thompson has his work cut out for him to deliver but if the correct things are cut then his rates freeze would be possible. Things like annual TEL sponsorship to the tune of 800k, and cutting costs at the top end of management. Second part for sure would save millions because we all knew the arse kissers like Prins only wanted to feather there nest. Remember he was the nous contractor who offered people redundancies to leave but then rehired them 6 months later because too many people rock up the offer. It was a shambles and nothing ever was said but it cost a lot. And he got promoted. All it was was to get rid of all the LNP style workers to replace them with labor backed union members or labor backed lovers of the mullet. Don’t believe me then you only have to be a part of some internal facebook groups and LinkedIn to see who supports who. Personally I believe now she’s gone they will find out just how fucken hard it is to be employed by TCC at present and what the lower half has to do just to get a job done. Your all betting Thompson will fail himself? I don’t think him or any of the new group will know what to do with what has happened and the council will be put into administration. My opinion it won’t be until after the state election because Chrisafulli has been eyeing off a few labor run councils and all of them have same problem. He will go through everything that was given to them by the state government and I’m betting it’s going to not end well especially for TCC. Just my opinion.
Thanks for assistance Past, you’ve certainly given me some clues, to add to my crystal-balling, on how the new mob will get on. Good one! Nostra
Who bought shares at Lansdown?
Keep digging. The answer is closer at hand than one would think…
Didn’t know shares were available. How does that work?
While there are definite issues with Lansdown, like trying to pitch it as a way to strengthen ties with Israel. I can’t see how shares could have been issued. Perhaps the bin chicken has become confused with the term shared services.
Perhaps Bin Chicken understands how Partnerships and JV’s that could benefit landowners from prominent backgrounds.
Keep digging.
As a secondary point I’d like to say that I’m very worried about a lot of my ex colleagues who are staring down the barrel of being put into contract. TCC has been for as long as I know had in house services. That creates 2 issues. One you can keep prices lower because you control wages and conditions and use other departments to maintain efficiency. However, you go contract and you risk whoever builds something or runs a service is contracted to profit from a government agency. Hence why a lot of you probably wouldn’t know why the grass doesn’t always get mowed somewhere as regular as it used to., just as an example. Keeping in house though also allows people like hill to strip budget funds from departments to syphon away to other things. Useless bus hub comes to mind and your boardwalk everyone talks about. I hope Thompson doesn’t contract everything out straight away and can try find a solution because then we are all holden to the market and not to better management of our services
Wasn’t the boardwalk fully funded by the state under some bullshit hand-out rort? The very fact that it was built where isis has been The Magpie’s main criticism, with the timing clearly an effort to polish up the Mullet’s image. Or maybe thee ws some TCC dough in there. Anyone?
Mike Madigan the Sunday Mail reporter wrote a piece about David Crisafulli, really good stuff about our new Queensland premier to be, however he needs a geography lesson about North Queensland, he stated that David drove the John Deere tractor on the farm at Ingham, the farm that is situated on the banks of the Johnstone River, I thought that river was in Innisfail, and Ingham had the Herbert River.
You’re correct but that’s an unusual error from Madigan, easily among one of the best journalists to have once worked at the Townsville Bulletin when was actually a paper of record.
To me, one of the decisions at the first meeting of the new council should be to contact the Qld Audit Office and Dept of Local Government to have an urgent independent financial audit undertaken of all council finances including assets and projects which funding is committed or required for completion ( eg Haughton pipeline, Lansdown etc). This would at least identify the true financial situation of the cities finances, any risks that this financial situation both in the immediate futue and longer term and hopefully recommendations on actions that should be undertaken to rectify identified problems. This would provide Council with a clear way forward to the future.
An independent report would hopefully stop any mud slinging by various parties and individuals and give the community clear unbiased evidence on the situation.
This report would be made publicly available on Councils website to ensure accountability and transparency.
Love your faith in the word ‘independent’ especially with Labor in power in Brisbane, and likely to cop the pineapple when anything dodgy on the matters you mention are revealed.
Pie, Another job for Nous. Clearly independent NOT.
QOA conducts independent financial audits on all councils each year. TCC audit report is included in the Annual Report.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever had dealings with a financial auditor, but they are some of the most unpleasant, boring and straight down the line people I’ve ever dealt with. I can’t imagine QAO being corrupt across the board.
Thanks Duck Balls, so are you saying there is nothing hidden, or to be worried about re TCC finances? Or………
I agree Ducks Nuts, QAO do undertake an annual audit which is undertaken in a set time period and framework. My experience with QAO is that they don’t look at assets particulars eg have vehicles been replaced in accordance with best practices and if not why not, (thinking of garbage trucks here), has expenditure been in accordance with business plans that were used to formulate budget and if variations are made, have they been approved at the appropriate level eg what happened to the disappearing $750k that Jenny couldn’t explain. Many other issues that a full forensic audit would examine. My experiences with QAO have been positive but then we did things in accordance with the relevant Australian Accounting Standards and organisational policies and approvals.
Agree. Auditors only audit to particular standards. But unless there is clear evidence of maladministration, corruption or insolvency, you’ve got nothing and no reason to investigate further. And not replacing assets according to an asset management best practice, or not following the operational plan to the letter, isn’t necessarily maladministration. Additionally, a full forensic audit, is costly, and according to Mr Twnames, the city is in a dire financial situation, so I imagine spending will be cut.
It was suggested late in yesterday’s comments that Twonames might be seeking Fran O’Callaghan’s advice and/or assistance in being Mayor.
Is that not somewhat his MO? Big thought bubble about himself in a position he’s not qualified for, looks for a partner who’ll see the good in him and do everything to help him — LEND HIM A SEMBLANCE OF CREDIBILITY — dumps them when the bubble’s burst.
All I know of Fran O’Callaghan is that writers on this site seem to like her. But from what I’ve seen of our new Mayor, I’m inclined to say “Fran, turn slowly away, hoist your backpack onto your shoulders, and start running as fast as you can. Think, as you run, of Joanne Birnbrauer, John Dean, Pauline Hanson, Mike Pence…”
Pie, I suspect Ms Birnbrauer’s name was what our alleged con-man wanted most of all from his former wife. That bit about her being at the end of her line is pure Thompson apologia.
That said, the name Troy O’Callaghan (“the son she never had”?) does have a certain wild-west charm about it.
Dis, the last three paragraphs of your comment………WTF are you on about?
If a serial offender offers you a ride in his car, say no.
If a serial failure (and one who freely admits he’s failed in the past, please let bygones be bygones) wants you as his partner, say no.
If a crocodile with human remains hanging from its jaws asks you to come in for a swim, say no.
Unless, of course, you believe you’re big enough and clever enough to reform him. Then go for it, by all means.
Jenny Hill is gone, which is the best outcome we could’ve asked for. This new guy, Troy, was nothing but lovely to my entire family at pre- polls, and he was incredibly sincere. I watched firsthand Jenny’s people try and squeeze him out, and yet people still magnate to him.
I’m not saying he’ll be better or worse, but like most of my friends, in their late twenties and early thirties we will bypass the bad press on this one and see what he can do. Knowing of the source of the detail put forward to discredit Mr Thompson and the fact he has sent it to anyone that will listen speaks more poorly for him than our Mayor elect.
Many of us have made mistakes in our lives, gotten into trouble, some more than most, even financial, and usually after a bad relationship, but he is looking to help Townsville, and that’s enough for me, the past should stay there, as we all have one. The Mayor elect has 53,000+ votes with preferences, more than our past mayors, state or federal members, that speaks volumes. If there’s a few thousand haters that’s irrelevant, what I’m seeing on every media post about Thompson is the community pushing back, time to give him a fair go.
I hope he sacks the CEO, and the 9 heads of departments, as this council of which I’m an employee is worse than cancer. The debt is much worse than put out publically, and I’m sure all will be exposed very soon, now he has the real information. If people understood the commitments moving forward JH made, they’d want her incarcerated. We have a Thompson federally and locally now, exciting times ahead.
A wonderful unbiased view, we need more of that here in The Nest. Perhaps you could see if Twonames could infiltrate you in the editors chair at the Bully, you are clearly better informed and have a greater understanding of civic responsibility than currently available in that quarter (faint praise I know but take what you can get can get it.)
And by-passing bad press (some would use the words ‘the truth’ but never mind) that is always a choice people are free to make …. with the proviso that they own their own stupidity if and when things go tits up.
Mini-moon and Les Wanker next.
Hanger-ons from a bygone thuggish era.
Time for people with actual capabilities run this place.
We’re a city now, not a scrawny chicken farm.
Oh how very Trumpian cleaning lady (or is that Michelle, Two-names’ partner and social media manager). “The Mayor elect has 53,000+ votes with preferences, more than our past mayors…..”. Well actually, 18,000 more votes were cast in 2024 than 2020 so that is no surprise but in fact in 2016 Jenny Hill received 59,000 votes from 14,000 fewer total votes cast. From his track record re-writing history falls right inside two-names’ wheelhouse.
Wrong, I have no alliance with Mt Thompson, I did vote for him though, but good try. If you think people in the community are aware of who really makes up the top jobs in council you are in denial between the HOD and assigned heavies. There are plenty that with the right CEO will all lose their roles from the top down, and there are a few CEOs ready to get stuck in, with nothing to lose.
No I’m not Michelle, but she was lovely at the polling booths too, perhaps the people on keyboards should get out of the dark rooms, off the nest and meet the new leader and his partner. They did take down a team in 9 weeks, hitting all the right cords with real people on the ground, the voters did the rest in large numbers. His volunteers, regardless their associations, were excellent and not bullies, they were big on numbers at pre poll, that’s how he got up. The anti Team Jenny sentiment was clear when I went, but the timing was simply spot on, he’ll definitely shake the place up, and word has it, he now has some very well known big hitters, both left and right advising him.
I hope he does continue with his ban on print media, with the right CEO that means less spent, putting the bully on shaky ground too, just perhaps that’s what they see written on the walls. Time to cut the many strings that fed off the JH alliance, it’s going to be a good show to watch, regardless, the next four years may be just what this town needs. I won’t be looking to bring Thompson down, I think he may bring many more down, that people didn’t expect, it’s time to cleanse the whole place. Like him or not, he won the vote, he has good support from ground up, he has a history too, who doesn’t.
I’m grabbing the popcorn, putting the paper in the fire where it belongs and will follow him on socials and in person, at least the bloke gets out amongst the real people not the toffee noses at the top, stuff them, there’s a lot less of them then there are working class people. All the best with click bait media, but I hope he drains the whole swamp.
Twonames didn’t take down Jenny. She did that herself. He’s just an opportunist who turned up at the right time and told people what they wanted to hear Against any other well liked Mayor his campaign would have failed.
And if you truly work at council, you might remember when Adele “drained the swamp”. It didn’t just affect those at the top. It affected all staff. It decimated service delivery. And stalled progess on so many programs. So be careful what you wish for because you might get it.
Ducky, Correct me if It’s wrong, but didn’t two names nominate for mayor after Fran withdrew her nomination thus making him the accidental mayor.
Exactly. He saw an opportunity and jumped at it. He’s been aiming for a job on the public purse for some time.
Who are the 9 heads of department? I thought there were 4 directors and the CEO. There are about 14 or more general managers. If you are going to say you work at council you should at least check some facts on their website.
Hello Troy’s partner, welcome to the magpies nest.
Sadie, do you think Troy will let people pay their rates and council fines in cash rather than having to use EFT and pay the banks for the privilege?
If the Council does not offer an alternative method of payment other that EFT (ie cash) then they cannot charge a fee if you use your card. Some of these smug “Card Only” traders should take note.
The Styx ferry boat has arrived and is ready to pick up Jenny Hill. Her misdeeds in Government, and on the road, will not be forgotten. All aboard toot toot.
When and how is the Deputy Mayor appointed ?
By a majority of councillors.
By agreement (vote) of councillors. And then officially by resolution of council, in a meeting of council.
It’ll be Ann-Maree Greaney, Paul Jacob or Andrew Robinson, my moneys on Andrew, a forensic accountant.
4 current councillors will go for AMG, 2 for Jacob’s, 4 for Robinson, leaving the Mayor balance of power vote…
With Fran & new CEO advising him, he may be bang on. It’ll make Jacob upset, but it ensures he doesn’t go behind his back as he currently is, too many Labor power discussions
Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves regarding Fran.
And don’t assume that there will be a new CEO appointed in three weeks. What planet are these bozos on?
Buying Ralston out of his remaining contract would be more costly in several ways than let it run its course … he has now put himself on the market with that CEO Magazine article/CV, so he might just piss off with little fuss. Believe TCC CEO’s are on four year contracts, anyone know how blong bozo’s is left to run?
You can rest assured that Prins has a very lucrative (for him) parachute clause in his contract with council.
Well, yes, one would expect that he has. Whatever else he is, he’s no dummy in this area.
Pie,
I’m reliable informed that Ralston settled on his Yarrawonga property in July 2021.
One would assume he anchored the CEO position first before investing Townsville’s funds….sorry, his funds here in the city.
Erica now posting as Sadie.
That’s six votes for the Labor side. They may have been rival tickets in the election but that’s in the past.
Seriously, The ‘Pie doesn’t really think that Labor has much of a mutt in this fight … the will be a new sense of freedom for individuals. Whether that turns out to be time-wasting, regressive shit fight remains to be seen, but allegiances will be formed without reference to polical parties necessarily.
I think they’ll have their eye on the state election and 2028, they’d be mad not to put a friendly in the deputy chair.
Who is ‘they’ and what power to ‘they’ have to do anything? genbuinely don’t understand what you’re talking about.
They the six Labor council members.
The ‘Pie believes you are suffering under the misapprehension that there is still a Labor-controlled bloc on the council that will dance to the party’s tune. It is far more likely that that there will be a welcome move away from the interference of party politics in Walker Street. Certainly this council, like any other, needs to effectively lobby for the city with governments of all levels, but a slavish dedication to one or the other is fast a fading nightmare. Thisn is in no small part that any council who is game enough and foolish enough to make a medium term bet on any political party hasn’t been paying attention to the tectonic shift in politics in Australia. Every councillor has the right to belong to the party of their choice – or none – but whatever their standing outside the chamber, they should leave those allegiances at the door, there is only one allegiance, and that is to those who elected them to the plush.
The basics this council needs to get back to in within the council chamber itself, speak on behalf of your constituents and their needs and rights initially, then by all means join in debate about the bigger issues … budgeting for special events perhaps (anything like that will die in the arse if Fran is an advisor), or more pertinently, things like examining the ratepayer support for the clipped wing galahs of Townsville Enterprise, and the various private companies set up for a variety of matters.
We’ll see. I think you’re reading the ousting of Jenny as a removal of party politics, but the councillors who are members of a party by choice will naturally have more shared interests both in their personal careers and for the advancement of the party when push comes to shove.
Hahahahaha … (wheeze,chortle, gasp) a merry jape indeed.
Labor people with shared interests? One of the most faction riddled, back-stabbing, in-fighting, PM-swapping, policy blocking mobs imaginable, and more than just nationally or statewide. Labor is an umbrella term for at least five or six distinct party groupings, which could be said to be separate entities altogether.
A recent example here. in Townsville was some sensitive luvvies in one particular branch got into a massive bitch-slap when one of them kicked off a movement and decided to put up a petition deploring the Israeli Gaza invasion (this was even before it was at any serious stage) and circulated it to all branch members. Well, did it hit the fan, and not in some closed caucus sense either. The clawing and scratching was all over social media, with yeas and nays ripping nighties unmercifully. The ‘Pie saw some email replies to the petition which would make even Margie Potty Mouth Ryder blush.
So in fact, my well-named friend, any party kinship would be aimed only at one thing … to have enough power to ride roughshod over any wishes and desires of the other councillors and the people they represent. All ideas judged good or bad by the standards of the party room, not by constituents as a whole.
any party kinship would be aimed only at one thing … to have enough power to ride roughshod over any wishes and desires of the other councillors
yes exactly my point
TwoNames needs two brains – his and a very good other one to survive all this. He can’t be successful on his own. He will need help.
Is he smart enough to pick someone credible?
he’ll be OK, we in The Nest areall here to help make the right decisions. Lucky man.
As part of the process of leaving the Government Department in which I worked for 40 years I was reminded of two things.
1. I was subject to the Official Secrets Act till the day I die. (Chuckle chuckle, things that were secret then are common knowledge now but still not a subject for dinner table conversation. ) and (stay with it, we are getting to the point)
2. Should any misdeeds on my part while employed be discovered after my departure, I can be hauled back in to be investigated and, should it go badly, dealt with.
QUESTION Does the second condition apply to the Mullet and her inner circle?
Yes. Misdeeds are usually criminal in nature.Don’t know about any statue of limitations.
There we go, a memorial to Jen. A ‘ statue of limitations’ .
Early contender for Comment of the Day.
And The ‘Pie knows just the fella to illustrate it.
That’s hilariously witty.
Can we have a busted Statue of Liberty ala Hill caricature to go with that?
‘Statue of Limitations’
Lumpy dress, wonky crown, moonboot, chains, a bunch of smashed wooden chairs in the background, and a magpie circling above the flame dousing it with steaming fresh excreta.
Please?
Sir Pie; I thought you were covering off each of the Councillors in this weeks masterpiece?
Did you?
Happy Easter Pie and commentators to the nest . Thanks for being a sounding blog over the past few weeks . 300 + comments a week , 84 yesterday . I hope followers will put a few $ into your nest as a vote of thanks . A.Resident wants to know why business people in Townsville didn’t run for Mayor . Most businesses who dealt with Council knew the toxic culture . Even if you are successful 4 yrs to try and manage $600 mil debt ( + what falls out ) , 4 yrs of your life , dealing with keyboard warrior experts , State , Federal . Jenny Hill is still a director of LGAQ whose quasi ” local buy ” program provides procurement to 77 Councils in Qld . Local buy takes a % of the contract locking many Townsville local businesses out with profits going to LGAQ . LGAQ last year $4.5 mil surplus was distributed to members which Townsville Council is . Are current ex Team Hill Councillors going to use the Sgt Schultz response ” I know nothing , nothing ” .
The LGAQ are a mafia outfit. Draining money from Councils and profiteering. Councils contribute lots of money to the LGAQ with the hope of winning some fucked up yearly awards which say the winner is the best council in Queensland. Mayors and Councillors wear their best outfits while sitting around dinner tables and enjoy the fruits of life (paid for by you, the ratepayer). Crooked charlatans advancing their own interests and tickling their own ego’s at the expense of ratepayers. Local government should be scrapped. It’s a con.
The best part of the con is the myth that they are an efficient and powerful lobby group representing the interest of Queensland local councils to the state government of the day. Governments of any stripe just nod sagely, mumble some tut-tut agreement to whatever bitching they come with and the laugh at them illy at the Queen’s Wharf restaurant that night telling stories about ‘Hey, have you heardwhat they’ve come up with this time ….’
The LGAQ is greatly limited in its ability to speak with a unified voice for the 77 councils that pay membership, so diverse are their competing interests and needs. Greg Hallam (aka Pizza the Hutt), take bow (if you can actually manage one by now) during your time at helm, you elevated the LGAQ to yet another golden trough for the grifters of this state.
“Most businesses who dealt with Council knew the toxic culture”. Mike, there would be hundreds of business people in Townsville who deal with the council every day. Obviously, plenty of them are able to handle the toxic culture, in fact many must thrive on it. Millions have been spent on roads, rubbish, water and sewerage projects which all use local contractors and presumably many will continue to line up no matter who the mayor or CEO is.
Matters only become toxic with the council when they are inconvenienced, challenged or otherwise pissed off with someone. And while, yes, there are hundreds of businesses who do not inconvenience, challenge or otherwise piss of the council and therefore have happy dealings (as they should) it is the ones the TCC doesn’t know how to handle or just find a pain in the bum who deserve the same level of respect. And don’t get it. And there’s been a few of them over the years.
Mike, I would say any business person in Townsville that chose to run against Jenny would be dealt with by her ability to leverage any level of government.
Imagine a Division 1 councillor who wanted to be mayor, but his daughter who is from the left was implicated, due to her current employment in state government and there you have it, problem removed. Or a prominent business person from the finance industry, who simply suggested he may run, suddenly his board positions and consultancy gets cut out, that is the real power of one Jenny Hill. With Thompson he has nothing to lose, at least nothing in his name, so he can take intimidation and media scrutiny as he’ll be back where he was, as per his motto, nothing changes.
Prins knows he’s leaving, with a golden handshake, imagine putting a story out, in the CEO magazine, meeting with the new mayor, resigning, being reemployed in the south, doing everything his new mayor wants, it’s pretty simple, he leaves, gets what he wants, and Townsville gets a new CEO, no smear on his name. I’d suggest that will happen, the CEO committed to an extension prior to Jenny losing but he will option out, especially if Thompsons advisors exposed the bones as they are all circling behind the scenes.
Next up is who’s deputy, my bets Paul Jacob, though the new councillors won’t be happy, but he’s the best experienced, they will have to fend off a late charge by AMG. While Thompson receives bad media and remains silent, his advisors are positioning themselves around him, this will be make or break, but I think there’ll be a left field player come in, and this will shake the whole system, perhaps someone with a lot of money. Back to the gossip mags I go.
Clive Palmer, Denise.
Twonames is Palmers stooge………
Mr. Pie, I note that the Bulletin has offered up its April Fool’s joke “article.”
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/boost-local-pride-townsville-city-council-adopts-ibis-as-town-mascot/news-story/7cb3df98eee0a9c137d99a8a04aa813d
This is definitely the clincher.
“A council spokesperson said Townsville was a vibrant, dynamic city and our new mascot needed to reflect that.
“The bin chicken embodies the tenacity, resourcefulness, and, let’s be honest, the occasional cheekiness that defines Townsville,” they said.
“Council is confident this bold move will not only boost local pride but also attract a new wave of tourism.”
Now, if only they had said it was a media release from TEL, we would’ve all believed it.
A TEL media release would have been about someone promising a mega project (that is highly likely not going to happen) with TEL saying “Yeah we did that”.
Wow, TwoNames is out there already with some crazy moves. Just heard his interview on ABC- he announced that he will build new Council offices at the old railway yards/used car lot, rent out old Walker street offices as accommodation, and turn Flinders street into a long strip water park.
Get over it, Kenny, we have the Bulletin for heavy handed club-footed April 1 humour.
Wait, hang on, The Magpie may owe you an apology … just checking now ….
Johnny Rotten might be interested in this clip I came across on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv9sH5ptgRA
We’ve lived in Wulguru since 1984. Townsville’s drinking water has been poor quality on occasion, but I have to agree with Troy Thomson. Until the recent rain, 5 out of the 6 past months, our water has tasted like swamp water with a hefty dose of chlorine. We had taken to getting Elliot Springs water delivered rather than drink the poison.
Geoff, I’m not sure if you’re aware but your body will absorb chlorine from your shower. So maybe you should buy extra water from Elliott Springs for your ablutions.
Christ, if that’s the case, what about all us galoots who have been using swimming pools all our lives?
Guess we’re all fucked. Hope Geoff doesn’t have a pool. And even if it’s a salt pool Geoff, the chemical composition of salt is sodium and chloride.
See the TCC bin chicken April Fools day joke has made think and ask what are Townsville’s Council approved fauna and flora emblems.
From memory, the fauna emblem was the brolga and floral emblem was the bottle bottlebrush flower but I haven’t seen these emblems used for many years. Does anyone know what the current Council approved fauna and floral emblem are?
The brolga statue at the end of the Bowen Rd bridge used to represent our fauna emblem. Hopefully it is currently getting restored and will stand again at this entrance to our city after the new bridge and associated road works are completed.
Perhaps the landscaping should include plantings of our floral emblem.
A job for Troy to follow up on with the TCC bureaucracy.
Perhaps the fauna one should be something reflecting the touristy, fun side of sun, surf and sex for visitors while accurately showing the close relationship between local ratepayers and the council. Some thing tasteful, not too graphic but honest.
Pie, TEL should slip down to Mackay and get a few tips on how to promote the region. Theirs is a pretty good promotion of the Mackay region. I reckon TEL’s response would be “yeah na, it’s Townsville “
The Bin Chicken is a great mascot for Townsville in our present condition. The city is an ongoing “dumpster fire” so a shit flecked scavenger is perfect.
Hopefully the CEO has a 4 year contract because if it is for 3 years then it was probably signed late last year. If that is the case it would be a hefty payout and a difficult recruitment process to replace him as I can’t see why any decent and experienced CEO would apply for the job.
A new inexperienced Mayor and CEO could be a recipe for disaster Not sure what the answer is, its a crap situation for TCC to be in and I feel for staff that could get caught in the cross hairs. I suppose all we can do is get out the popcorn and wait it out .
Agree there could be difficulties if The prince doesn’t more or less seek fresh pastures voluntarily. But forget that stuff about inexperienced CEOs, surely even this mob will have learned the less from Adele The Impaler Young. Any incoming would really have to have the creds, and, you know, some people like a challenge.
What TCC needs is a CEO who is familiar with or has worked for local government. That would be advantageous. Then secondly you want a CEO that can solely focus exclusively on the TCC CEO role. People like Ralston, who is on numerous LARGE time consuming boards and works as a consultant, quite simply cannot apportion the right amount of time to the core job. That was a mistake from day 1. The stinky one treats his TCC CEO job as secondary to his main interests. Half a million dollars per year and the guy uses up his days doing work external to his CEO role. It’s an absolute farce and it’s a situation that Twonames is going to have to address.
Most Council CEO contracts are for between 4 and 5 years duration. The Prince has been with TCC 4 years this December. So if his contract is 4 years duration, they can roll him this coming December. Just saying….
Bring back Ray Burton and everything will be fine.
Had been thinking the same thing over the past week or so.
how quickly we have forgotten about the short comings of Ray. I thought we wanted to take the city forward not backward.
Like people voting against Hill and ending up with Thompson, some folks would rather end up with Burton than endure another stint by the Nous author of the TCC utterly failed slash and burn policy. And much of the Burton smear originated from the mayoral office, so Jenny, via Ralston could get unqualified Labor head kicker Adele The Impaler Young into the CEO’s chair to do the ‘hard yards’, before he took over later.
Now tell me that is a conspiracy theory with no substance. Go on, I dare you.
Shogun?
Yes, that’s correct Pie, she did the same with Fran. Trump up fake complaints to the OIC or whatever it was called and plaster it all in the astonisher to mislead the ratepayer.
Wasn’t Burton who started TCC on the borrowing pathway using debt to for wages etc? I thought he had some rocky relationships with the old Townsville First team caused a few problems, where it looks like he was doing mayors dirty work frustrating the other team
Alright after Ben Fusco ran for Team Jenny Hill while being a Katters Party Member and Nick Dametto hit the pavement handing out for him at the local elections..we now have Margie Ryder who is in fact a Labor party member contrary to Caitlin “not reliable one bit” Charles reporting otherwise teeing up whether to be a Katters party candidate come October. Can we all agree that Katter and Labor are now one and the same and do not have the city’s interests at heart but instead have eachother in one another’s back pockets. Forget jobs for the boys when it comes to this mob Jobs for your mates come to mind when talking about Labor and Katter in North Qld!
KAP has always been ALP-lite, or ALP in a hat. The original Trojan horses-arse.
GST, are you suggesting that if there’s a hung parliament after the October state election the Katters would never side with Crisafulli and the LNP?
Jenny, look at the voting record of KAP at State and Federal. They always vote with the ALP on key matters. In the case of a hung parliament they will vote “for stability” or some such bullshit and shut the door on the Kid.
Yes NrfM, but that won’t be a hung parliament will it? KAP are potential kingmakers, that is what they are here for. They have done well out of their various Labor alliances but that was then, this is now. When opportunity knocks . . . . . . . .
Margie is an excellent choice for KAP, she fits their party image well.
Why Balls? Does she swear, talk slowly, wear cowpoke boots and wear big hats???
Yep, all of the above
No plucker, because she’s not very smart, throws public tantrums and is partial to a badly executed stunt to get attention (good or bad doesn’t matter).
The ECQ has nearly finished the official distribution of preferences count. What we can see so far is that most voters simply voted ‘1’ and didn’t nominate a second preference. In the mayoral election the tallies were: Hill 47,415, Thompson 50,167 and Patel 10,529. Patel came last so his preferences were distributed to the other candidates as marked on each ballot paper. Of his 10,529 first preference votes, 5,580 gave no second preference and were therefore ‘exhausted’. The remainder were distributed 1,160 to Hill and 3,789 to Thompson giving Thompson 52.62% of the vote and Hill 47.38%.
That result is a belting for the ALP and will be a wipe out for their 3 seats in Townsville.
But who will pick up those post-Labor seats? LNP, Greens, Katter, One Nation? And what of the other two Townsville seats, Burdekin and Hinchinbrook? October is shaping up nicely.
Dunno so much, Prickster – maybe those who cast a protest vote against Jenny can now see the unintended consequence of such an action. Perhaps, come State elections, they may decide to retain the useless fucking idiots they have now, rather than chance having a flat earther behind the wheel.
Will the new Mayor deliver a mighty pineapple to CEO Ralston, or will he be all gush with excitement for our useless CEO? If Troy truly has the level of business experience that he claims to have, he will also know that Prince Ralston is deadwood and needs to be replaced.
When it comes to smarts and experience, The ‘Pie knows where his money is going.
Prudent, best to use him so as to gain as much knowledge as possible about the doings of the Mullet (even if not much) and then write him a new set of SOP’s and curtail his ability to attend to other business outside of TSV’s interests, forthwith.
He’ll probably spit the dummy, BUT only after securing a lucrative post elsewhere. So use him to the fullest why you are the circus ring master so crack the whip.
Heel, Little Prins couldn’t give a stuff what happens at TCC. He has his NOUS consultancy plus his spot on Gladstone Harbour Board as well as any other crumbs the labor party throw his way.
You may be right, but non the less paint him into a corner as suggested. He’ll either bugger off, or cover his arse by exposing the Townsville Tyrant’s abuse of privilege!
Correction dear sir, Dr Ralston serves on the Gladstone Ports Corporation board.
Butterflog, Glorified name for a harbour board.
With 10,500+ votes, does old Harry get a cash kickback for his troubles ? A blokes gotta’ live ya know !
You can say all the negative things about ray Burton but under his tenure he had the financial situation under more control than any other council in the past couple of decades. He had to deal with all the booby traps that mooney left him as well as bullshit that he had to deal with when mullet demanded having 2 budgets every year she had tsv first. His record will stand as having the future planned out for TCC to be nearly out of debt by 2015. Unfortunately now look at the debt. The only thing I never liked him for was the length of time he and council took to give us a deserved pay increase that we fought for for nearly 3 years. He did in the end hand down 3 consecutive 5% increases which mullet has never done. Many faults but he definitely had a much better chance of making TCC viable for the future unlike what is there now.
Mr, Pie, as you have intimated in the past, the Bulletin Iditor, Cas Garvey is clearly out of her depth.
However, her ridiculous decisions appear to not only continue, but get worse.
Take today’s Page Nine lead story…restaurant reviews from Airlie Beach… FFS!
She, like Jenny Hill, has to go?
Butterflog, you may not be aware that the TB as a daily paper (not published Sunday), is read by folks as far south as Proserpine, Airlie, Cannonvale, Bowen etc. So the occasional reference to those areas is appropriate.
Yes, but did you read the story. Doesn’t matter where it was, it was utter lowest-level social media garbage. ONE PERSON ON REDDIT OR SOME SUCH DIDN’T LIKE THE RESTAURANTS, FOOD OR SERVICE IN AIRLIE. Eight visited, eight ill-informed childish broad brush judgements.THE PERSON WAS ANONYMOUS, SO NO CLUE TO WHAT QUALIFICATIONS TO MAKE AN INFORMED JUDGEMENT. NO THOUGHTFUL OR WORTHWHILE CRITICISM, JUST A BOGAN-LIKE SPRAY. The Bulletin could pick up that story from anywhere, including Townsville, and it would have no constructive aspect and absolutely no useful information. As it was, it was dome by a Mackay Mercury reporter.
A disgraceful waste of space from the Bulletin editor and staff wandering in the wilderness.
She should apply for a position at the ABC, who are now so focused on obscurity and irrelevance on the daily news. She’d fit right in!
MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH COMPUTER.
EITHER SUFFERING AGE UNGRACEFULLY LIKE ITS OWNER OR SOMEONE IS PLAYING SILLY BUGGER.
SHUTTING IT DOWN FOR AN HOUR OR TWO … WILL STILL ACCEPT COMMENTS BUT THEY WON’T BE PUBLISHED UNTIL THE MATTER IS CLEARED UP … THE PUBLISH FACILITY IS ON THE BLINK.
Perhaps Troy Twonames has planted a virus in your computer, a Trojan horse virus?
Stuff like that hasbeen suggested from time to time over the years, but The ‘Pie doesn’t like to get ahead of himself … he’s not that important for anyone to bother.
Dis Prins, anyone?
One assumes that is a medical joke?
Well he does go by the title of Dr Prins Ralston. He has been trained to financially extract as much money as he can from the Townsville ratepayer. He is a true specialist.
A productive proctologist.
I see that the preference count for Division 9 has finally come through. Voters there had four options and exercised preferences more than in other divisions. In the washup Liam Mooney came through with 52.62% over Erica Keam on 47.38%
Another clear message to the Mullet in her retirement.
How is that for a statistical curiosity? In the mayoral election, 108,111 formal votes were received resulting in Troy Thompson winning with 52.62% of the preference distributed vote. In the Division 9 election, 9,826 formal votes were received resulting in Liam Mooney winning with exactly the same 52.62% of the preference distributed vote. Just saying.
Spooky, eh, possums?
The next 12 months will be interesting. Let’s see if Troy can avoid Council managers and the CEO taking the piss out of him when it comes to our true finances. $600m in debt and growing. How will you stem the bleeding Troy? Will you be hoodwinked by slick and sneaky accounting practises or will you be more like Fran and be investigative and ask the hard questions? If you are going to rip the bandaid off you better be prepared to deal with the fallout. Lots of buried skeletons within TCC.
Twonames only has to sack the CEO, once that happens the CFO will resign, the legal bloke will retire and it will become a bloodbath at Walker street, as all the others fight for position & titles. There’ll be whistleblowers appearing everywhere for sure. Fran will no doubt contribute, she can’t let her city go to ruins, so I think he’ll grab her too, if she is healthy. The skeletons will reappear, but there is so many with them these days, look at Les Walker, he will adjust and just move on, even after the October election Les will be in another Labor position somewhere. Best thing Twonames can do, is remain silent, do very little, just enough, watch and learn, then come out when it settles, with the people they are saying he has assembled behind the scenes, the want to be mayor may well turn out ok. Either way, I am thankful to see the end of the Team Jenny mob.
Westy, I agree, say less, do more, keep one’s head down, bottom up, thats the only way he will earn respect.
Anyone want to hazard a guess on when the “We’re for You” newspaper will publish full details of who the (new or re-elected) mayors & councillors are for the various city and regional councils around these parts.
Townsville, Burdekin, Whitsunday, Charters Towers, Herbert, Palm Island – nada.
There’s too much other important news to cover, like the views of a single disgruntled tourist in Airlie Beach.
For want of a comma – para from Crikey announcing the new GG:
“Mostyn was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia in 2021 for distinguished service to business, the community and women.
She described herself as the daughter of an army officer and a beneficiary of the public education system, talking to reporters not far from the old Canberra hospital where she was born on Wednesday.”
Classic!!!
She must of went to school with AnAl.
I predict the TCC Mayor elect will be sworn in on Wednesday 10 April by the current TCC CEO. Then the Councillors will take the oath of office.
The first TCC council meeting will be jovial enough, with plenty of back-slapping. The following meetings will be compulsory viewing for the great washed and unwashed, as the new Mayors ‘experts’, backers and advisors will be revealed.
Over on Palm Is, the brethren will welcome back Lacey as Mayor and Townsville bottleshops will rejoice!!
Nostradamus, we all hope. I think the current TCC CEO will resign or be pushed, week 1. Thats all the Mayor has the power to do in the council itself, have the CEO removed, whoever comes in next had better know the local government laws well, because the southerners that have held executive positions will be getting out their resume writing skills, the writing is on the wall, TCC will be overhauled in a timely matter, 12 months. Then the 3 years after will be about holding out Crisafulli and LNP favourite son, shock jock Brady Ellis for Mayor.
Pricestar(?) You don’t think Frothy will be in the mix for Mayor?
Nostril, what will be the voting method for electing a deputy mayor? Say there are three nominees. Will there be two rounds of voting or what? You have foreseen this haven’t you?
I have seen this one Jenny. There WON’T be three nominations for deputy mayor, so this is not an issue.
Agree oh Soothsayer. The other thing that will have started already, is getting on the range of committees and whatever graft comes with each one! Be interesting to see who lands on the Finance one and whether it will be as transparent as old mate Casper!
Long-term reader, first-time poster here, and I have to say that I do love your turn of phrase, MW.
Congratulations on yet another scoop with your article prior to the LG election, related to the now aptly named “Conman the Barbarian.” I also note that national news outlets are picking this up, I suspect largely as a result of your reporting.
Your work got me thinking about what else our new mayor has been creative with the truth about, so upon a quick review of his LinkedIn page, he claims to have gained bachelor’s degrees from both Curtin and Griffith Universities.
I have made some cursory inquiries with Curtin University regarding whether they have any record of a Troy Thompson, Troy Joseph Thompson, or Troy Birnbrauer, in the period he outlines – 1990 to 1993. They have no record of anyone by those names having been awarded a bachelor’s degree—unless he studied under another legal name, which is highly possible given this guy’s form.
If I am correct, while this, along with the other recent revelations, doesn’t disqualify Two Names from office, they certainly raise interesting questions. Particularly, why someone would fabricate such details and then broadcast them for the world to see.
We live in interesting times.
Maybe because he really is an idiot?
Sounds legit a University sharing private details to a third party without authorisation.
https://graduations.curtin.edu.au/verification/
I hope the link works????
DPR
Very interesting piece of digging mate. Twonames is looking more dodgy by the day. Perhaps he purchased his qualifications from one of those fake universities in the USA that sell them? I hope people keep digging as this bloke is a conman. Maybe his next name could be Peter Foster?
Interesting, I have spoken to both universities, and they are not at liberty to produce information about a past student, so it is simply hearsay at best, as it is under the confidentiality privy act. I must say, I am over the white anting though, it’s like people have a new toy to throw out of their cots. I’d rather see how the bloke goes, remember, our past Mayor had an ‘alleged’ manslaughter charge against her, and had some very good legal representation. This bloke has told a few furfies at best, it’s not life or death. I’ll judge him on his performance in office now, not on the past. My interest is to see this place we live in be a better city than it is now, Jenny had 12 years to do it and failed miserably.
.
Well, it’s pretty obvious where you’re coming from, with your ‘c’mon, let’s give him a go’ mantra. Most of your reasoning is easily exploded twaddle, so let’s get them out of the way shall we?
From Quora:
Can you find out who graduated from University?
Just call the Registrar’s Office at the college and ask to verify a degree. While all sorts of college records are private, a degree is a matter of public record.27 Jan 2020
One imagines a degree should be able to be verified – a Nest reader did it with Jenny hill (she was telling the truth) – especially since imposters, con artists and blow-hards would be all over the place if there was no public record to verify claims. And uni’s are partially funded from the public purse. So you obviously didn’t speak to the right person, or you asked the wrong question, or, more likely, you are just bullshitting and attempting a deflection as a friend of Thompson. But Mr Thompson, so eager … shall we say pleadingly desperate ‘to put the past behind him’ … can easily put this minor matter of fact but major matter of credibility to rest by posting copies of the degree on FB.
Invasion of privacy? I don’t think so, unless one is ashamed of a higher education degree. Proving what you claim is the new norm for Mr Thompson’s role, and that goes for his murky past. No wonder you and he are in panic mode.
But your weasel words that give you away as some sort of plant is your airy wave of the hand saying ‘I am over the white-anting’ and that simply asking for a now public official to let us know fully who is the putative symbolic leader of this city ‘is a toy being thrown out of the cot’. Asking legitimate questions about a public person’s past is not, as you so sleazily put it, white anting, it is a democratically sanctioned act of free journalism. In pursuit of the public’s right to know. In more five decades around this stuff, your words are text book spin, as though we are all kiddies being naughty.
The’Pie hopes and believes that Thompson will accept a quick learning curve and be a useful figure for the city … but because of folks like you, you hope we’ll never really know who he is.
The ‘Pie reasonably believes you are part of the Thompson cohort, and if your ethics of approving of hiding the past is an indication of the transparency that is promised, nothing will have changed in the Hermit Kingdom of Walker Street.
Quora is an American operation. Its information may not apply to Australian universities. We don’t have “colleges” like they do.
OK, fair enough, now how about carrying a bit of the load and check out the Australian situation instead of speculation you expect The ‘Pie to spend more time on.
Start with this one.
https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/graduation-and-leaving-uq/verify-uq-graduates-qualifications
Whilst I hear what you are trying to say, I would suggest you are incorrect, I am not team Thompson. People in general, have slowed down their support of print news, and often TV news too, all you have to do is speak to the new generation of people coming through, people with fulltime work simply do not care, they have created their own bubbles. If the bloke gets the role he is employed to do right, the rest, including the media smear will be quickly forgotten. He has the votes, and I for one, would rather him than what we have had. Not everyone is looking for the model citizen, because there isn’t one. To be frank, I comment because I get sick of the ‘old school’ journalism that is dying its death. The media frenzy on your page may have increased, but it is the same old heads making the same old chatter, which no one really cares for.
You really are either a deeply disturbed person who subscribes to the Trumpian ‘alternative facts’ doctrine, or you are a very inept spinner (read liar). Your moral fault line is as greater danger to society these days as anything that went before.
Please demonstrate with examples where there was a ‘media smear’ against Thompson. Since when is asking questions on matters regrading a public person’s claims and background that have not been adequately explained a ‘smear’.To The ‘Pie, NOT asking would be a dereliction of duty.
So let’s put it this way: if a priest is fulfilling his role of informing and advising the flock and administering the Lord’s forgiveness and sweeping the church floor – all the required duties – the fact that he’s a kiddy fiddler on the side doesn’t matter. Let’s focus that he’s doing his job and forget all that other inconvenient stuff.
As to your goofy, flapdoodle of a half-baked philosophical take on today’s political landscape, may The ‘Pie refer you to G.Orwell’s ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’,Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ and more recently, the brilliant and frightening ‘Prophet Song’ by Paul Lynch.
That he may be preferable to Jenny is a lay down misere (although yet be proven) and is the main reason he fluked the top job. And even if he does the job well, does that mean we aren’t entitled to know his background and character? The ‘Pie doesn’t know what planet from which you are visiting, but a short term stay wouldus around here perfectly.
It appears I may have been on the right track. TT has now removed any reference to his Curtain and Griffith university qualifications from his LinkedIn page.
DPR
Or is it?
I’d suggest he now has people working his page, removing anything and everything from the public in preparation for public life. All the screenshots in the world, and yet not a peep from him directly in the news media, imagine that. At least he has stuck to his word, no news media interviews, seems they’re in a frenzy now.
Hadn’t noticed.
Queensland Councillors are quite heavily remunerated, and Mayors even more so. Often they earn around $200k plus for the Mayor of a large Council, and around $120k for a Councillor. Our southern counterparts get paid much less, some Councils pay around $30k to $40k per year. I wonder what would happen if our esteemed ones in Queensland got paid a pittance? Would we be stuck with the dregs of society managing our interests, or would it sift out who genuinely want to help their community selflessly? Then again, they could get paid $0.00 and some of them would still be wealthy from the rorts, grifting, kickbacks, mates rates, dodgy approvals and and shady deals.
Cant wait to hear all the scuttlebutt and staff whisperings around the corridors and lunch room on Wanker Street over the coming months. TCC leaks more than a Council garden tap!
And we’re all looking forward here to what you hear, Pickled Herring … trust you won’t be keeping it to yourself.
Dan Gleeson, first mayor of Thuringowa City ( as established by corrupt Bejlki Peterson in the dying days of his government) took no pay for his position as Mayor.
Ben, I don’t dispute that Mayor Dan took no pay although you could clarify if members of that council were paid ‘meeting fees’ or other benefits which were the order of the day once.
The creation of the City of Thuringowa is something else, fortunately recorded in Wikipedia:
“After his passing [in 1994] the “Dan Gleeson Memorial Gardens” were dedicated to the memory of Gleeson by his successor Mayor Les Tyrell.
The then Labor Member for Thuringowa Ken McElligott has since stated, that a deal was done before the 1986 state election whereby Minister for Local Government Russ Hinze would declare Thuringowa a city in return for Gleeson (then shire chairman) who was running as an independent, delivering his preferences to the National Party’s Peter Arnold. McElligott states that this deal was explained to him by Arnold after the election and that it has never been denied by the National Party. His chairmanship and mayoralty of Thuringowa has been described as colourful but well-connected (within the State Government),[7] he has also been described as ‘a political chameleon’ for having been previously a member of the Labor Party.[8]”
From memory, the former offices of the old Thuringowa Shire Council still exist on the southern side of the rail crossing at the intersection of Flinders Street and Ingham Road. There wasn’t much to it back in the day.
J,
I have no knowledge of meeting fees back in the day.
I remember the Thuringowa Shire office next to the railway line when I first arrived here, thinking it odd that the Shire office should be in Townsville City.
I later learned that in the beginning Townsville consisted of the port and what is now the CBD. All the surrounding area was Thuringowa Shire putting those offices in the Shire.
Townsville grew, boundaries were adjusted and Thuringowa Shire got smaller, and disappeared altogether with amalgamation.
Why do I keep thinking this is an allegory for a political solution in America today?
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+sword+scene+in+raiders+of+the+LostArk&oq=the+sword+scene+in+raiders+of+the+LostArk&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyBggDECEYFdIBCjE0NTQ4ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:82172147,vid:kQKrmDLvijo,st:0
I understand.
I would have thought that since it is modern day America the two combatants would have turned their weapons on the crowd although there appear to be very few children available to give the level of satisfaction usually desired.
Hence his nickname locally as Warren Stench. Amazing, contracts are awarded to companies that his wife is involved with. But of course, nothing to see here..
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-04/warren-yolonde-entsch-federal-mp-leichardt-queensland/103657670
PR, Wasn’t Mrs Entch involved with the Great Barrier Reef organisation that Turnball gifted $450 million to?
Reading the comments on TwoNames’s Facebook page is like reading a list of the who’s who of the local cooker collective. It seems the people think he can turn back the king tides, fix potholes overnight and change the planning scheme.
Sue Blom, is right up with them. I had thought better of Sue. Just because he’s not Jenny, doesn’t mean he’s better, more forward thinking, or less corrupt and he’s definitely not smarter.
And in regards to the rates freeze, apparently he has stated his “truth”. I suspect we’re going to hear a lot of that used in the form of “that’s my truth” when avoiding responsibility or questions.
Ducks Nuts, it seems you are another quick to judge someone on your keyboard. I met with the guy yesterday and can say, he is much more professional and knowledgeable than our past Mayor. Al the people saying what he can’t do, and yet he isn’t even sworn in, and they are already guns loaded, sounds like a whole group of ‘naysayers’ living of their past. Nope, I’ll give him my full support, he’s a better egg, and replies to almost every person. I asked him about the deletions of comments and people, he said to me, it is simple, respect the page and the person, or move on, he won’t put up with negative, and I personally prefer that than all the drama created around him. And yes, I have spoken to him about his past too, I am comfortable with his response, I would suggest, Dolan, Ryder and Walsh are trying, unsuccessfully to unhinge him, he’ll be good for the city, people see that, and the funding, wheeling and dealing will be exposed, is it any wonder they are gunning for him, because so many are implicated in the ‘business’ with council. Thats my read on it.
You are such a sweet trusting character. After just one meeting, you’ve got a woody on and swooned. And how do we know what your qualifications are to make such a judgement that puts sliced bread in the shade? ‘Won’t put up with negative’ means he won’t confront the character questions, and answer transparently. Thompson, in his new role, is in no position to be telling the citizens of this town what they are allowed to know.
And here is a statement to Troy Thompson directly: Your past is our business now you have decided to take a role that can affect the affairs of every person in Townsville.
But The ‘Pie is flattered, seems TwoNames has a whole platoon of gofers targeting this blog, of which you are clearly one. keep it coming, loving the foot shooting.
Sadie/Erica is that you? Twonames seems to have a big fan club within the Magpies Nest. Incredible.
Not sure if it’s a fan club, or people who have also had things happen to them in life. I would suggest the later. I know when I had a marriage break up, I made plenty of mistakes, these days they would be considered DV, you know phone the kids, return a call, turn up to get your property, sounds terrible right, or is it normal… I know so many people who have breached laws that they never knew existed, and many who did so before DV was a ‘thing.’ Blokes always get the raw end, doesn’t make it right, but I think it was Dameto who brought up how heavily weighted it was to women in particular. A name change bah, nothing again, bankruptcy, well that usually follows a divorce, or a business collapsing, so its all run of the mill stuff. I’d suggest not a fan club, more a, yeah, been there moment from people who have either been directly or indirectly affected.
Are you and all those other people running for office, where character and background is knowledge the public is entitled to know?Your shrugging off of deliberate obfuscation gives your game away.
Wrong again Magpie but keep guessing, I’m actually closer than you think to people who used to respect you. You are first to have a go at people on your own page if they don’t toot your horn, but when someone makes a commonsense discussion piece, you try and derail it with waffle. Maybe this why you are no longer at the Bulletin, I mean seriously, does that mean you are worse than what they have now. The musings of the intellectually challenged old buzzard, thanks but I think you are a silly old man with no friends and not much else to do but be angry at the world.
Gosh. The ‘Pie is outed!!
But to address the free character reading, you seem to confuse ‘angry’ with ‘persistent’ in terms of seeking answers and asking further question.
I think it’s lovely that all these pro Twonames people have, all by themselves, just suddenly decided to pop up in the Nest to support him. It’s almost as though they are coordinated and put up to it; organised crime if you will. Perhaps contact your mothership and get some new talking points, these are getting repetitive.
At least it is a change from the tiring and predictable pro-ALP undergraduate debating society crap we are usually served up. Speaking of which, where’s Steve and his mates? Dolan, come back!
I have watched his page from almost the day it went live, lots of people getting on, the odd one deleted mysteriously too, but that is the social norm these days, at least there is dialog, unlike most political pages. Sue has been around, she supported, and I note she signed off on Brodies ECQ nomination, so she has been pretty vocal on her preference. I think he’ll go ok, just needs to say less, do more, people will always judge a person’s past and character. I’m more concerned about the Albo / Bowen usage of 2 jets to get to renewables launch. This is how when elected people deserve the ire of the community. Just WOW.
Yes, there is dialogue. It’s the quality of dialogue I was commenting on. Just because there’s a lot of talk, doesn’t mean it’s informed or useful.
A persons past and character is a fair indication of their future behaviour. Leopards. Spots.
Isn’t that the idea of a political figure, to talk? How many political figures have you spoken with that have little to nothing to add of value…. I still remember the same being said about Jenny, for 12 years+ she has commanded the attention, people bagged her at every turn, more than 20 years, or 2 life sentences in politics, her character too was questioned, and yet she prevailed. This blog even skewed her, until a new one came along, now he will get the same treatment, no doubt.
She prevailed …Townsville didn’t.
You’re a biased dunderhead, weak sophomore arguments. try harder.
Michael, fortunately, Twonames won’t last as long as Jenny. Despite all her faults, and there were many, she wasn’t a total fucking moron. He’s already being called out on his Facebook page for his lies and weasel words, and for backing down on election promises before he’s even sworn in. Let’s see how the cookers in the community respond when they discover he’s not going to deliver a lot more of his promises.
On that last point Tasty Nibbles, you can bet he will be painted as a victim, it will be OUR fault because we harrassed, stalked and trolled him, poor dear, and who wouldn’t go off the rails when challenged by a pissy obscure little blog in North Queensland.
My Place are promoting a meeting tonight featuring Andrew Robinson and Kristian Price. It’s at the usual My Place venue and the usual My Place night but they say it’s not a My Place meeting! I think we can put Robinson in the My Place bloc.
I don’t know much about Birnbrauer Thompson’s Uni qualifications, but I do know that every job I’ve had in the past 30 years they do a qualification check and if I have lied about any (including ones not required for the job) it would have meant instant dismissal for fraud.
Magpie, it seems DPR was on the right track. Troy Thompson is clearly a reader of your blog. The references to his 1995 conferred Science Degree from Curtin U and his 2005 conferred B Com degree from Griffith have been removed from his LinkedIn profile. To TwoNames….who will be reading this. Don’t worry. We have screen shots of your old profile. Your actions in removing these references are those of a guilty man. My opinion is that anyone genuinely making excuses for this charlatan on this blog or supporting him in any way should look hard in the mirror. Townsville may have deserved better than Jenny Hill but it sure as shit didn’t deserve this grifter.
Yep, by removing those education qualifications from his LinkedIn page you have an admission of guilt. Soon to be Threenames has been exposed and caught out lying and gilding the lily yet again. What a start to his career in local government. Retiree Greg Hallam would love this bloke!
Probably does.
Please send those screen shots to email hidden; JavaScript is required
You may call me a dunderhead Magpie, but I’ve achieved much more in life than you have. I’m also passionate about this city and I am willing to give the new look Council a decent good things. Whereas you like living in the past and in some kind of angry, bitter and twisted universe. Up yours pal.
Oh dear, seems The ‘Pie has touched a nerve.
But you again show you’re a dunderhead – if the new council and TwoNames do good things, which we all hope they do, do you think The Magpie is going to decry that success because he lives in a an angry, bitter and twisted universe? Whatever Thompson does will be judged on its own merits, but we will never get past the arrogance of saying his personal history is off the table. Just why you’ve chosen to pile hot coals on the blameless feathered head is hard to understand… other than calling out your bullshit, outing you for who you are ideologically and pointing out the deep stupidity of your reasoning …. Well, hard to understand for someone who apparently isn’t as ‘high achiever’ like you.
Keep the self-praise comin’, sweetie, we’re luvin’ it.
Please save us all the suspense and share your CV Michael so we can see all the amazing things you have achieved in life. I’m holding my breath in anticipation.
Also just out of curiosity, does the J stand for Jackson?
Probably stands for Johnson, in the American vernacular.
Hey Michael, Mickey, Mike, Matey, help us all out and detail what you have achieved in life so we can compare it with the meagre output of the feathered one.
Like your beloved Twoface – sorry Twonames – you must be a legend in your own lunchbox.
I wonder if the brave TwoNames backers will show their real names.
Or is there a reason you won’t?
Maggers, me old mate. Don’t the goings on in Townsville bring the old adage “there’s a sucker born every minute” .to mind. Twonames is just a small town version of Trump and like Trump will take a fall.
The kool aid drinkers of his will move on to the next version to be fleeced.
Councillor Jacobs will sort him out. I can see a voting block that will have Jacobs as Mayor in the next year.
Meanwhile, fight the good fight. Help line up the ducks so all us saner people can aid in their knocking over.
Muddy? Is that really you?
It is. I used to be old but now decrepit. Occasionally I have a gander but miss the days of Sandy and Mutty.
I thought I would have a look at this new fella Twonames. Well, strap me to a dunny and call me George. He does seem a right twat. Poor fellow, my city.
Jacob’s is not that smart, his own party has turned on him for going against the machine. He’s no kingmaker. My bet is Dr Ralston leaves with $600k, 3 councillors are put under investigation. The new Mayor has some big hitters coming in, from both sides, entrapment maybe. Sounds like the rates freeze will happen now. While they are all in training school over the next 2 weeks, it’ll be Dr Ralston calling the shots, if Thompson gets it his way, we may sell the rail yards, stakes in Haughton, and Lansdown, now who has that much money and a bone to pick!
Thompson is no dictator like his predecessor, he is largely a lucked-out fruit loop, and Hill was only seen as such through political connections, fear of retribution and bullying. He’s a light weight with no such back-up, and certainly no powers to rule by fiat and make the decisions you confer on him. He does not have any sort of coherent majority adhering to his vague, castles-in-the-air agenda and The ‘Pie for one is positive he has vastly overestimated any ability to ‘coach’ new councillors to ‘his way of doing things’.
BTW ‘…sell the North railYards? … who would be stupid enough to buy them. To paraphrase Kerry Packer about Alan Bond and the purchase of the Nine Network -‘you only get one Jenny Hill in your lifetime and Palaszczuk got hes with the North rail Yards’.
I think it is so funny how muppet Thompson, who hasn’t even got to sit in the mayoral chair yet, has been exposed as a conman and liar already!! How fucked is that?? He has his supporters in the Nest (either that or he is using multiple aliases) trying to paint a picture of Troy the good honest bloke. Ha ha pull the other one mate, you are in the words of the Magpie, a complete shonk. Troy makes Prins look like mother Teresa.
The ‘Pie is told Prins and Mother Teresa smell about the same.
leave Mother Tereas out of this rant on Thompson!
Bless you, my child.
Careful Townsville Magpie, we’re watching you! See you at the gate.
That’s the biggest vote of confidence for the future that The ‘Pie has ever had.
Lessons from reading comments on this week’s blog; Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience……
A permanent hazard for this old bird.
and people wonder why we drink
Wait, you sure he’s not talking about you Pie?
It seems this blog has a new target, and not surprisingly, one that has taken the highest seat in Townsville. Just looked at his pages, all blank. He’s officially sworn in Wednesday 10th, then the games begin. Positioning, voting blocks, code of conduct issues, imagine if any of these put as much effort into our city what we could’ve been, or should’ve been. Hill & Co have a lot to be held accountable for, love to see the real books.
An overlooked aspect of the TwoNames is the politics in the background of his win. If he is going to start fucking around within the limited powers of a council to echo or reflect political stances of others – like the Mullet often did – then his ascension to the plush has changed nothing. Except perhaps the top dog’s ability to herd their particular mob of cats.
Is Clive Palmer floating around in the background? He had did have a strong dislike of The Mullet. Just wondering? Maybe he donated the 50k payout from Mullet to manynames?
Townsville has a new mayor, wonder if he’s open to the monorail idea.
Only a mere 33 single dwellings approved in March 2024 down from 66 last year One of Mayor Hill’s last media was “ embarrassed by how many projects Townsville has “ . Peel back the layers .
Rumour has it Frothy Molachino didn’t bother turning up to planning meetings with housing industry groups because they kept warning him of the issues .
Cairns and Mackay offer and promote no infrastructure fees public and affordable housing . Council spokesperson claims “ Townsville does also, you just have to apply “ , the only problem that,like Councils mentally healthy City project, there are no $ tied to them .
got a weblink?
Afterthought – some of this can now be sheeted home to the land developers. We have jobs ready to go, but land registration is still months away in some cases. It’s very frustrating for clients and builders alike.
Interesting graph. I can’t see all of the billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects that CEO Ralston claimed in his recent business magazine article that he was delivering?
That’spossibly because the reporter – or Prins – got all mixed when he was talking about Gladstone.
Our illustrious Mayor to be must be in damage control the only way he knows how. He has shut down posts and comments on his Facebook page. Watch this space people as transparency and accountability abound!
As I understand it, all councillors, including Mayor Elect Thompson can use their own socials page, but they have to remove the campaigning etc, I think he might be getting his Insta, FB, TikTok, and LinkedIn ready for that. I did see the councillors leaving kept their pages and removed a lot too. Hmmm
But of course. As innocent as.
Oh Denise… posts on social media containing election material must comply with the Local Government Act 2011 if they are posted during an election period, no matter which account is used, personal or official. Election material means anything able to, or intended to influence an elector about their voting choices.
The Code of Coduct for Qld Councillors applies to online conduct in relation to Facebook or other Social media Platforms (like reddit).
I do hope people have screenshots and downloads from TwoNames’s Facebook. And particularly from reddit, as that was quite abusive.
For the life of him, The ‘Pie cannot understand why people are abusive online.
Denise, It is even more important now that Iditor Garvey and Two names kiss and makeup so the readership can get a handle of TCC workings. Not everyone uses social media.
Well, let’s consider that … the oily tongued TwoNames obviously has the gift of the gab, and the current editor the gift of gullibility.
The unfortunate circumstance is that we have editor so inexperienced and out of touch with the information industry and local interests … unless you liken sick kids, idiots who kill themselves but were beaut blokes or mawkish pap about pets as required information … that she would definitely be ripe for takeover. So we would be no further progressed from where we were.
So what we need is
not
a non-coital reconciliation, we need an editor journalist who will just do the necessary job in such a way to retain credibility.The Bulletin does not need some sort of special relationship with the mayor the council. In the past, that has just meant getting press releases ahead of others so the paper can hilariously claim an exclusive. No, basically what we need is an experienced captain for the good ship Bulletin, with an advertising manager who is a First Mate being just that … second in charge.And just while we’re with the Astonisher, the executives and journos might want to go easy on dissing TwoNames’ secrecy …. unless they want to be squeaky clean and reveal their real circulation figures … not the bullshit ones they show the suckers who advertise with them. As if …
Completely correct Pie. We have a mayor who we are stuck with for the time being, but a new editor and some competent journalists would fix a few issues.
This is becoming scary, I’m no expert on the legal circumstances if an elected official is proven guilty of knowingly claiming exceptional false qualities that could influence a voters decisions.
Can the powers that be, disqualify him and appoint the runner-up candidate? or allow the successful councilors to appoint one of their own; or call for a new election?
If any of the quite feasible matters come to light and he is removed – voluntarily or otherwise – within the next vyear, we will have. a new mayoral election. Further into the term, councillors will vote one of their number to complete the term.
Thanks, that seems to be simple and straight forward, hard to believe that any government process could be so!
Believe itnor not, it seems that we may owe Palaszczuk a vote of thanks.If The ‘Pie has it right (if he hasn’t, he’ll soon be told) Premier Alphabet changed the law from one where the second placegetter in an election stepped into the role if it became vacant within a year … she did this because of the laughable outcome in Rocky where a joke candidate – he meant it to be a joke, not a serious. one like TwoNames – got the scarlet robes when the incumbent resigned in a political tiff. Was his Pineapple Hooper? Anyway, he thought the joke had gone too far and resigned forthwith, causing an election.
Here in the ‘ville, we should be so lucky.
Achilles – I don’t think the average voter gave two hoots about TT’s qualifications, imagined or otherwise. This election was all about getting rid of the Mullet and her fetid team of arm raisers. If (and it’s a big IF) he survives a term, I can see the next challenger easily taking him down.
You’re right, no one should worry too much about his qualifications … but what they sure as hell should be worried about is when he lies about them, or simply makes them up.
Thus far no advice on TCC web site about the date of the next Council meeting. TBA after the election. Well, it is now after the election.
10 April is swearing in date meeting and as per previous meetings I’m assuming it will be livestreamed.
Townsville Magpie, Inspector Clouseau let us know that you and others have serious concerns about the Mayor elect. Let us know if we can assist.
Thanks, but look, seems it’s all been a mistake. Mr Thompson has said he wants us to forget the past … which he so rightly says is none of our business … and hail him as the conquering hero. Which it appears many are doing, so since you blokes in the bunko squad always bow to public opinion and personal assurances of innocence, best leave it alone, eh?
I would like the new Mare (sic) to just give an honest explanation as to why he had Uni degrees under education on his LinkedIn profile but then decided to remove them?
Not obvious, Brows? Perhaps he doesn’t actually have them………:( Derr…
You know, its a simple slip of the keyboard to accidentally falsely claim credentials. But other than that, and the DV, and the bankruptcies, and the name change, and living with mum, and all the other stuff, he’s just misunderstood. Poor possum.
Un-bloody-believable. An unabashed climate change pusher (for money, of course from at least committee position), an avid advocate (try saying that when you’re pissed) for getting women into all the top jobs, Labor Party apparatchik, fervent supporter of the Voice, who publicly announced how ashamed she was of the country and her fellow Australians when it fell over, is now our GG. About the only tangible thing I can see on her CV is her work in the AFL.
Will Sam Mostyn resign all her lucrative board memberships? Will she remain a member of all her activist committees? Can she be a uniting GG in spite of her past blatant divisiveness? Is she going to be Albanese’s glove puppet?
I note that Quentin Bryce was also appointed GG by Labor PM KRudd, however, in October 2013, when Billy The Blade Shorten, her son in law, became leader of the Opposition, she offered her resignation to PM Tony Abbott in case of any perception of bias. The offer was declined, however, the gesture was appreciated.
This new one isn’t worried about any perceptions, warranted/unwarranted of her political bias and is in there for the long haul. Poor fella my country.
Why are you so worked up about a glorified ribbon cutter?
A glorified ribbon cutter? Don’t you remember 11th November 1975?
The events of November 11th 1975 is precisely why the position is now that of a ribbon cutter. No GG of any stripe would event attempt to pull that stunt again … although Peter Potatohead is on the look-out.
I notice Townsville is sitting at only number 6 on the Sht Towns of Australia facebook page for March. We need to update them on our new Mayor so we can back up to number 1.
The Troy Thompson cheer squad has gone quiet today. Are they locked in a long weekend strategy session with the Mayor elect? Busy tidying up LinkedIn, Facebook, his CV and any other document that might be detrimental to his cause?
So another week of negative comments about the new Mayor
and now the new GG looks to join the hate list.
Magpie,
you must get weary of this negativity.
Absolutely right, but until Thompson and his crew come clean and stop their negative stonewalling and deflection, The ‘Pie will keep asking why they are so jumpy about his past, and will keep asking what shapes the character of the city’s new representative.
But yes, his negativity … and yours it seem … is wearisome.
The GG, about whom The ‘Pie knows nothing but what is publicly available is hardly going to attract universal acclamation in this political fractured country. The job never does. And whether people agree or disagree about the road that led her Yarralumla, at least they can base their opinions on her openly reported past, which is known fact. An ability not open to us with TwoNames.
Now settle down Winni, just because you disagree with an opinion does not make it negative – so start sewing that nighty back together.
DG or GG?
GG. Thanks, both corrected.
Criticism and disagreement is not hate, the much abused, over-used and exaggerated use, is abuse in itself.
Freedom of speech is far more important than self imposed “hurt” just because you choose to be offended and in most cases on behalf of someone who you consider should be offended.
I was fortunate enough to have grown up at a time, when in Australia, you could call someone a wog, jock, pommy, et al and no offense was taken, until the likes of you came along and did their thinking for them and had the tame pollies all “crusading” for a cause that did not exist.
Now everyone chooses to be offended and usually gain a cash benefit for doing so,
Comment of the Week, Heel. You’re so much better when not trying to be funny.
Touché
Winni the poo, yet you keep coming back here every week reading this blog and comments. Are you feeling negative? If you are then why don’t you take a hike and go somewhere that is more ‘woke’ for your liking.
TwoNames FB page now says ‘under construction’.
He’ll probably change his name to Lazarus!
As his his career.
As is his career
It’s a long walk from the peanut gallery to the main stage. He’ll be removing all the trip hazards he can.
But there’s a militant Magpie perched attentively. Better not catch its eye. Too late!
Make that a Magpie Army, the old bird doesn’t do all this alone, y’know.
TCC trying to win back the Bulletin the only way they know how with 3.5 pages of meaningless advertisements today.
Those adverts aren’t meaningless to Gerry Harvey. He makes a fortune selling his cheap Chinese crap to all the houseo’s in Townsville.
Yup … and The ‘Pie didn’t say advertising was meaningless, the sucker reference was to those who mainlu locally who have been told a version of the ‘reach’ of any ad they take-out.Many have been disappointed.
And argue if you will, but it is a solid fact the Bulletin would be an even further diminished entity were it not for News’s nationwide deal with Harvey. We would be on our way to the much-predicted Courier insert, and maybe, just maybe, a local consortium getting together to back a new local news entity. Harvey is no fool …when asked in a WA radio interview why he didn’t just buy the papers he so heavily advertises in, he pointed out the bleedin’ obvious. ‘Why bother’ he said, explaining that he can control them anyway because regionally, News has now become totally dependent on his amount of advertising. It does two things … makes News lazy and even more greedy because they don’t have strive towards real journalism … and gives Harvey his own protection racket. When did you last see a story critical of Harvey, who has the odd skeleton floating around worth a closer look? And that doesn’t just apply to News.
I see the law courts car park set up with food vans for a team hill send off or a foil hat welcome….
I wonder if they’ll bring the coffee table.