HALF the sitting council has urged acting general manager Alan Eldridge to throw his hat into the ring for a permanent gig.
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The endorsement comes as council begins scouring the nation for Wagga’s newest top bureaucrat after the forced resignation of Phil Pinyon in September over Douglas Aerospace.
Council will hire recruitment firm Blackadder Associates to find suitable candidates for the position reportedly worth more than $300,000 a year.
Anyone is able to apply, but the majority of councillors have strongly encouraged Mr Eldridge to apply. They cite his local knowledge, business experience and capacity to “change the culture” of council as key strengths.
Other councillors are understood to be cautious about his permanent appointment, while at least five refused to be drawn on whether he should apply.
But Cr Garry Hiscock said a “bleak time” for council warranted the appointment of a strong general manager.
“We’ve got a process for the position, but he’s got every right to apply,” he said.
“It’s no secret that we’ve had a bleak time on council and we need to get ahead.
“If he (Mr Eldridge) applies, he would be a strong candidate … councillors are pretty impressed by his business-like control.”
Cr Greg Conkey acknowledged that Mr Eldridge’s elevation to the top job had been a “very, very steep” learning curve, but believed he could handle the pressure. Cr Conkey said while council had received some promising recent financial news, challenges lied ahead.
“I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if he put his hand up,” he said. “He has some very solid business skills and that would be welcome.”
Cr Paul Funnell said Mr Eldridge had “vastly” improved the culture of council despite the departure of many senior bureaucrats.
“He has taken us out of the Douglas Aerospace fiasco like no one else could,” he said.
Wagga mayor Rod Kendall, deputy mayor Dallas Tout, Cr Julian McLaren, Cr Yvonne Braid and Cr Kerry Pascoe preferred to let the recruitment process play out before publicly assessing Mr Eldridge’s suitability. Cr Braid and Cr Pascoe preferred a local appointment. Cr Alan Brown and Cr Kevin Poynter said he should apply.
Mr Eldridge declined The Daily Advertiser’s requests for interview, but said in a statement he was “considering his options”.
