Rod Oxley still set on lord mayoral tilt

A barrage of criticism will not stop Rod Oxley from pressing ahead in his quest to win Wollongong's coveted role of lord mayor.The disgraced former Wollongong City Council general manager remained steadfast yesterday after announcing on Saturday he had his eyes fixed on the plum job.Wollongong was abuzz at the weekend with news of Mr Oxley's impending political tilt, three years after he was implicated in the Wollongong corruption scandal that led to the sacking of the previous council and the installation of three administrators.An Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation found Mr Oxley had created an environment in the council where corruption flourished.Pages of damning comments posted on the Mercury's website were an uncomfortable read for Mr Oxley yesterday, however the 63-year-old conceded the reaction came as no surprise to him."It shows I have a reasonable amount of work to do to convince Wollongong I'm the best person for the role," he said, urging residents to put the past behind them and look to the future."Wollongong needs to be given strong leadership from a council that wants to advance the city with the right policies.‘‘I have the capacity, knowledge and experience to make that happen,’’ he said.Mr Oxley said he had received support from a number of prominent Wollongong identities since making the announcement.But the possible rekindling of an Oxley-Wollongong council link has raised the ire of former councillors who were sacked under Mr Oxley’s management.Ex-independent councillor Dave Martin said the city needed new blood and anyone associated with the past should step aside.Mr Martin argued that Mr Oxley represented an era ‘‘the city should move on from’’.‘‘The future lies with someone new rather than going back to the past,’’ he said.Another former independent, Alice Cartan, said she thought Mr Oxley would find the council an entirely different experience as an elected member.‘‘You’re there to represent the views of the people who elected you, not your own,’’ she said.Despite fiery reactions from some members of the community, others say Mr Oxley’s local government résumé, which includes almost a period of 20 years as the council’s general manager, makes him more than capable of filling the role professionally.Illawarra Business Chamber president Les Dion acknowledged Mr Oxley’s extensive prior experience in local government, but said people would be looking to his past performance.‘‘As far as the business chamber is concerned, whoever takes up the lord mayor’s position needs to hold a wide range of skills and provide the governing and leadership that Wollongong has been lacking,’’ he said.‘‘Rod, along with any person hoping to be elected, needs to demonstrate those skills and capabilities.’’