Deliver Us From Evil

But which temptation and whose trespass is anyone’s guess.

I’m old enough to have been raised on a daily diet of the Lord’s Prayer at morning assembly, Shakespeare in English class, and Simon and Garfunkel before bed.

It always felt to me like Paul Simon’s 'Hello darkness, my old friend' was the folk-rock equivalent of Hamlet's obsession with death as a devout escape.

And though I grew away from institutionalised religion, many Christian visions that were planted in my brain, still remain.

So, during the hallowed opening of yesterday’s Shoalhaven Council meeting, I found myself praying - not so much for good governance, but for the sounds of silence.

I humbly beseech this Council: since Christian prayer is now imposed on the participants and viewers of local democracy, could whoever delivers that prayer please say it like they mean it? 

If this offends either your faith or your leadership, well, now you know how others feel when an Indigenous Acknowledgement of Country is tut-tutted as tokenistic.

In Shakespeare's iconic drama of familial and political dysfunction, Hamlet, King Claudius prays after murdering his brother, but he knows full well that God’s forgiveness is out of reach:

“Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”

Across Shoalhaven’s social media yesterday, many words were spoken, and much blood was spilled, as Mayor Patricia White and Cr Karlee Dunn announced acrimonious resignations from their beloved political party, the Shoalhaven Independents Group (SIG). 

Cr Selena Clancy followed up with an emotive statement of thanks that mainly served to confirm her current allegiances and identify herself as the victim of distressing intimidation.

Although the salacious rumour mill was spinning, none of the three public statements revealed exactly why White and Dunn were splitting from SIG and which 'two Shoalhaven Independents members' they allege engaged in 'manipulative and coercive behaviours'.

Even if people don’t solve the mystery themselves, the statements served up more of the nasty division that has become synonymous with Shoalhaven Council culture.

Now, I don't know what actually happened, and I don't pretend to understand a councillor's personal reaction.

But for the people, that is exactly the problem.

We are constantly given shadowy glimpses of our elected representatives through cracks in the drawbridge. We don’t know what is truly going on in the obvious caucusing that everyone denies.

We just get more ambiguous allegations, unfounded accusations, and bad juju.

No wonder most people simply turn away and don’t care - and that is a dangerous, lost opportunity for our region.

Those heartfelt public statements may have been written with good intentions.

But good ol' Hamlet, foreshadowing the chaos to come, would have suggested a different strategy:

"It is not, nor it cannot, come to good
But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue."

If information is not appropriate for public hearing, deal with it in private.

If it is in the public interest, speak the whole truth, and nothing but.

Mayor Patricia White’s press release accusing fellow councillors of tactics “aimed at silencing dissent and exerting control” barely raised eyebrows, which shows just how far the baseline has shifted to our accepting, with a cynical shrug, the tragic mess this Council is in.

The Mayor's media release asserted:

"This decision has not been made lightly. However, it has become increasingly clear over recent months/years that the internal culture of the Group/Party, marked by persistent bullying and intimidation tactics, and toxic behaviours is incompatible with the values of integrity, respect, and service that we owe to the people of Shoalhaven. In my opinion these tactics, by several Councillors and outside party influences connected to the Group, are aimed at silencing dissent and exerting control, stand in
direct opposition to the collaborative spirit required to govern effectively."

Call me old-fashioned, but, wow! This isn’t normal - is it? 

Shouldn’t we voters be shocked by news that the elected Mayor, back from what must have been difficult cancer treatment, abandoned the party she leads, took another councillor with her, and, together with a third councillor, accused her party colleagues of serious long-term misconduct, but didn’t even address the faithful constituents that lifted her onto the throne in the first place?

Was I crazy to expect that last night’s council meeting might somehow at least acknowledge this latest dysfunctional drama?

Sure, I felt the tension, and I read the subtext beneath the voting for Deputy Mayor and other debated motions during last night’s meeting.

But I honestly thought Shoalhaven’s ratepayers deserved some genuine explanation, especially given the immense cost and relentless trauma to which this community has been subjected for two years.

Not to mention the coming fiscal load we will be forced to bear for Council still being broke.

As I walked out of Chambers into the dark, rainy Nowra night, I realised this is our normal. 

What has defined this term of Shoalhaven Council is not a lack of money or expertise. Those are circumstances and challenges to overcome. It’s a total lack of trust, birthed from a complete absence of transparency.

The atmosphere of hidden agenda started literally on day one of this Council being sworn in, with the secretive ambush of CEO Robyn Stevens by Mayor White, Cr Wilkins and Cr Proudfoot, leading to Stevens' (and other directors') abrupt departure with unnamed severance packages.

The tone was set and has persisted every day since.

It culminated last year in the highly controversial appointment of the current CEO, Andrew Constance, and the apparently unresolved ‘Section 430’ state government investigation into that process.

Distrust pervades not only Councillor relationships, but also staff-councillor interactions and community-councillor synergy.

It’s in the broken (false) promises over rate rises, the poor follow-through on road repairs and the hurtful communication - or miscommunication - over staff cuts.

It’s in dishonesty surrounding the Mayor’s prior career claims and unpaid legal bills, the hidden information about reasons behind councillor resignations and the gaslighting of anyone who dared investigate the truth as 'threatening privacy'.

It's in the Mayor's executive appointment of her political supporters to key committee roles, refusing wider community involvement.

It’s in the commitments to the communities over planning character statements, caving to developer demands for fewer guardrails.

Indeed, it’s the blatant inconsistency in the way certain towns and community groups are prioritised and supported.

It’s in the unilateral approach to shutting down sport, art and library services or selling off public infrastructure used by our most needy and isolated.

In missing money from tennis court and wharf rents. In sudden and nonsensical land sales defying policy or law.

In rolling back previous environmental decisions out of political revenge, despite scientific evidence clearly upholding conservation and climate resilience.

Distrust comes from the scapegoating of Community Consultative Bodies, the blaming of ideological opponents for infrastructure failures and the paranoia about losing individual power to collective influence.

And each time a personal rift between Councillors pops open like a festering pimple, I think, surely, this time will be the turning point?

This time the Office of Local Government will push aside the Labor Party’s fears of electoral backlash and say ‘enough is enough’.

Shoalhaven’s people and places deserve a much better deal, don’t we? 

Without trust from openness, we are nothing but tribes at war - with every difference of opinion perceived as a manipulation or threat, achieving only delay.

Patrick Lencioni, author of a popular organisational management book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, said teamwork is not necessarily a virtue but a strategic choice.

“And if we're going to make that choice, we need to invest in building trust, engaging in conflict, committing to decisions, holding each other accountable and emphasising the collective results of the team,” Lencioni said.

“Trust starts from the top. The team leader must risk losing face and show vulnerability first - for example, admitting mistakes, asking for help or apologising for poor choices.

“If a leader feigns invulnerability, the team will mimic the behaviour, rendering trust impossible.”

Whether it takes an administrator, an election or an epiphany, I look forward eagerly to a day when this cycle of distrust is destroyed and Shoalhaven wakes to a new dawn.

(Author's excuse: Before pursuing journalism, I studied drama - and mathematics. I boast neither theatrical fame nor financial expertise, just an enjoyment of logic and language, especially anything by Shakespeare and Paul Simon.)