By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
THERE’S little love lost between the three councillor protagonists in this footpath affair.
Just in the past year, there’s been plenty of sniping between Mayor Angela Long and accused councillors Peter Brown and Maria Sampey.
In last year’s council elections, Cr Sampey cried foul after candidates Barry Long – Cr Long’s husband, Cr John Kelly and former Cr Yvonne Herring preferenced her last. She said it was clear her opponents had tried to get her voted off the council.
Soon after, Cr Brown made an aborted bid to defeat Cr Long in mayoral elections. He dropped out after realising his rival had the support of most of her councillor colleagues.
This year, Crs Sampey and Brown successfully moved for Cr Long not to be automatically installed as the councillor representative on the Dandenong Market board.
Instead Cr Sampey was voted on the board by her colleagues.
Cr Sampey has also since publicly questioned the value of Cr Long’s presence on a trip to the council’s sister city Xuzhou in China.
This month, Cr Brown vowed to move a motion reversing the mayor’s written support for the East-West link tunnel project, saying her position was adopted without consulting other councillors.
Through all these points of friction, Cr Long has maintained a dignified silence – similar to the straight bat she’s played to all questions about the investigation into her rivals.
