And more about that blessed bling tree

from w
Our local happy chappy - sometimes - mayor is not happy, not happy at all - about that blessed bling tree.

Geelong councillors accused of plotting against mayor Darryn Lyons and floating Christmas tree

·         MANDY SQUIRES

·         GEELONG ADVERTISER

·         SEPTEMBER 03, 2015 9:39AM

·          GEELONG Mayor Darryn Lyons believes the city’s entire Christmas program is in jeopardy as councillors plot against him and his floating tree.

Cr Lyons last night told the Geelong Advertiser the Christmas tree was “in the danger zone”, with councillors deliberately stalling on deliberations in a bid to kill Christmas and hurt him personally.

The “grave attacks on the mayor” and the Christmas tree had reduced him almost to tears and caused him to storm out of a recent council meeting, Cr Lyons said. Councillors were “playing the mayor, the man and the tree”, he said. “Certain councillors are licking their lips to make sure that tree doesn’t get out on the water. I’m not going to name names,” Cr Lyons said. “And it’s not only the tree, the whole Christmas program is in jeopardy, without question, and that will be a very sad day in history for this city. The Christmas tree has become personal against the mayor ... and I think there will be a lot of smiling faces on certain councillors if this tree does not get on to the water.”

Cr Lyon’s extraordinary spray follows news this week the City of Melbourne will spend $4 million on a Christmas program which includes a new Lego Christmas tree in Federation Square, flashy new decorations and Christmas bells in Birrarung Marr, in a bid to become the country’s Christmas capital.

The Geelong Mayor said he wanted to see the content of the recent confidential council debate about the fut­ure of the floating Christmas tree made public so Geelong ratepayers could see what went on behind closed doors at City Hall.

“In my opinion (the debate on the Christmas tree) has been placed in confidential to cover up certain actions by certain councillors. I’ve been close to tears over this particular situation,” Cr Lyons said. “I was disgusted by what went on and I actually stormed out of the meeting because in my opinion it was a situation where the mayor was being played. In my opinion since the tree has been such an incredible success with the community there has been a deliberate factional play to really blow up the tree and apportion blame where it’s not warranted and it saddens me to the nth degree when we have one of Geelong’s most iconic successes.”

Following the success of the floating Christmas tree last year, he had hoped to make it 6m taller this year and provide a more impressive nightly light show, Cr Lyons said.

He had also planned to invite every school in the region to the lighting of the Christmas event, with one school given a golden ticket to flick the switch.

“I expected a bigger spectacular this year,” Cr Lyons said