OUTGOING Casey Mayor Colin Butler has few regrets about the past year - except he thinks he could have come down harder on bad behaviour in the council chambers.
Cr Butler said that looking back, he should have "jumped on" misbehaviour a lot earlier.
"Some of the councillors should have been suspended.
"But then again, I didn't want to be seen as this overbearing patriarch, standing over everybody."
His principles are simple: "Just be a straightforward, down the line type person, a normal person."
Cr Butler, a Tooradin farmer for 25 years, has lived all his life in the City of Casey.
He was elected to the council in 2003 after getting involved in a residents campaign to stop a rave party at the Tooradin airfield.
"It was going to abut a lot of rural properties, and we were worried about the drugs that would be brought in, and the noise.
"The incumbent councillor, the late Ron Mantle, supported the rave party. I got involved and people said to me I should stand for council.
"At first I was reluctant. I didn't really think that was going to be my forte. I didn't see myself as a community leader."
Cr Butler believes grassroots councillors are a rare breed in local government.
"A lot of councillors now are politically motivated.
"Some are just there to represent a political party or see it as a step up to a career in politics."
"I think it's a detriment to local government, and I've seen it getting worse over the years."
The political divide of Casey Council was highlighted during the maternal and child health issue and the role of chief executive officer Mike Tyler.
Cr Butler said there had been problems with Casey's maternal and child health service, but the council had solved them.
He described the CEO reappointment process as "totally politically motivated and very disappointing".
"I had a program in place and I was going through the normal processes [to reappoint a CEO].
"Some councillors were hiding behind the fact that we should go
out and test the position, but really it came down to them not liking Mike Tyler."
Cr Butler questioned the ability of some of his colleagues to be councillors, but would not name them.
He plans to retire as a councillor at the 2008 council elections.
"I'm into my sixth year on council, and to sign up for another four years is a big commitment.
"It's time for a change, and residents need a change in the person that's representing them."
"Councillors can get stale.
"We've already got a couple of stale and grumpy councillors."
Cr Butler had few words of advice for new mayor Janet Halsall.
"Janet has been around, she knows the game, she knows the procedures.
"I think the only advice I could give her would be how to operate things in the mayoral car."
Next week, the Journal will profile outgoing Cardinia Mayor Kate Lempriere.
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