Sampey hits mayor’s plan

DANDENONG councillor Maria Sampey has hit out at mayor Pinar Yesil’s threat to vote against a councillor pay rise if her Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability (ATA) Reform Charter is refused.
“I mean, who does she think she is?” Cr Sampey said. “Obviously she does not need the money but councillors are paid a pittance for a lot of hours.”
This month, Cr Yesil told the Star she would block councillor pay increases if any aspects of her plans to improve councillors’ performance were eliminated.
But Cr Sampey maintained the threat was “dictatorial”.
“State politicians do not have to abide by a charter,” she said. “We are voted in by the public and are held accountable to the State Government.”
Cr Yesil’s ATA reforms met stiff resistance but a motion for an officers’ report into the plan when it was first proposed in March was approved.