A MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillor has drawn the ire of a stalwart of local government on the peninsula, with his suggestion that no councillor should be allowed to serve more than three terms (12 years) in a lifetime.
Brian Stahl OAM, who served a total of 12 years in two stints in the Shire of Hastings (1987 – 1994) and then again in Mornington Peninsula Shire (2003 – 2008) decried the shortsightedness of the motion, and what he sees as the politicisation of council that led to it.
At the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting on 23 September, Cr Bruce Ranken moved that the mayor write to the Municipal Association of Victoria board recommending that no councillor be permitted to serve more than 12 years in their lifetime.
“At the outset, it is worth reminding ourselves that a council is very much like a board. The ratepayers are, in effect, the shareholders. The shareholders, or ratepayers, they provide the funding. And they expect us to manage the organisation wisely,” said Ranken.
“Councillors are the directors of the board. We are entrusted with the governance, the strategy, the oversight and the accountability. “And just as shareholders in a company would expect regular renewal of the directors to safeguard the independence and ensure fresh ideas, so too should our community expect the same from us. “At its heart, this motion is about good governance, renewal and accountability.”
Stahl told The News there had been a long tradition of service on the Mornington Peninsula with names that had become legendary in local government. “David Gibb was a councillor for 20 years, and I think Jack Babbington was a councillor for about 30 years! There were other names like David Renouf, Bill Goodrem, David Jarman and of course a councillor that served on the Shire of Mornington when I was on the Shire of Hastings; David Gill. “Make no mistake, these people were great servants of their community. They never put up their hand to do anything other than good. They should be recognised for it and not castigated for it.”
After Ranken spoke, Cr Paul Pingiaro moved a “put motion” that allowed there to be a vote on the issue without any further debate. The put motion was passed six votes to four. The motion was then put to a vote and accepted six votes to three with Crs Marsh, Pingiaro, Allen, Williams, Ranken and Batty in favour and Crs Patton, Stephens and Binyon against. Cr Roper was absent from the meeting, and Cr Gill was absent from the chamber at the time of the vote.
Cr David Gill, who has served on the Shire of Mornington and Mornington Peninsula Shire for a total of 20 years, and would be barred from seeking any further term under the proposal, expressed his frustration that debate was not allowed on the motion.
“If I had the chance to debate this, I would have asked who gets to decide who represents them? The ratepayers or other councillors? This is taking the democratic right away from electors to decide who they want to represent them. “I respect the right of a councillor to bring up the matter. But to put it to a vote without debate is a huge issue. It is not how the democratic process should work. We’re talking about denying democratic debate.” On being denied the right to speak on the motion, Gill walked out of the meeting. He later told The News “You can stay and get frustrated, but sometimes it is best just to not be there”.
The successful motion will now see the mayor, Marsh, write to the MAV. The issue would need to then be voted on at a MAV general meeting to see if there was consensus among members to adopt the suggestion as MAV policy. Should it be accepted, the MAV would then have to make representations to the state government. The state government would be required to amend the Local Government Act for the change to come into effect.
First published in the Mornington News – 7 October 2025
