Veteran Kiama councillor Warren Steel believes having a real estate agent on a local council can be ‘‘very beneficial’’.
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The former real estate agent and current deputy mayor celebrates 20 years on Kiama Municipal Council this year.
This week NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has called for the law to be changed before next year’s local government elections to ban property developers and real estate agents from holding office in local government.
It is one of the changes proposed in the wake of the furore surrounding Auburn Deputy Mayor Salim Mehajer’s wedding last week, for which he blocked off a local street, prompting scrutiny of his political and business dealings.
Cr Mehajer has been able to vote on matters potentially benefiting him, thanks to the changes to councillors’ voting rights in 2012 introduced by then Local Government Minister Don Page.
The law was changed in 2012 to allow councillors with a pecuniary interest to vote on planning controls that affect all or a substantial part of a local government area as long as they declare the interest.
Cr Steel said at Kiama Council they had always done things ‘‘straight down the line’’, even if it did mean he spent a lot of time outside the chamber when he was a real estate agent while issues were discussed.
‘‘I may have sold a property, or knew the people but I always declared an interest,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve never had any problems with people declaring an interest and I defy anyone to say otherwise.’’
Cr Steel said the council once had a property developer – Neville Fredericks – as mayor.
‘‘[Neville Fredericks] promised that when he was mayor he wouldn’t do any developments in Kiama, he said he wouldn’t and he didn’t,’’ Cr Steel said.
‘‘In lots of ways the majority of councillors have respected my opinion regarding real estate issues, such as values and other things.
‘‘Everybody has some knowledge they can offer to a council, councils are generally a good cross-section of the community and I believe my experience as a real estate agent has been beneficial to council.’’
The Kiama deputy mayor said that unlike the Auburn deputy mayor he had never closed a street for a function ... but he did have a tram parked in one at one stage.
