Mayor Asks Councillors: “Tell Me Which Roads to Close” Amid Explosive Interference Claims

Cessnock Council’s internal meltdown hit a new peak this week when Mayor Daniel Watton put a stunning challenge to fellow councillors:
“If you want more cuts, tell me which roads you want closed.”

Instead of tackling waste, reining in consultants, or trimming bloated management, the Mayor jumped straight to the threat of shutting roads — a pressure tactic that says more about the state of leadership than the state of the budget.

This comes as the Mayor confirmed that $100 million in future planned capital works has been removed from the budget. Yet even after slashing $100 million from future projects, the Council claims it still doesn’t have enough money.

So the obvious question remains:
How can a Council cut $100 million in future works and still claim financial crisis?

Explosive Allegations: Councillor Claims Pressure from “Certain Person”

Councillor Quintin King has made an explosive allegation: a “certain person” has pressured councillors not to attend meetings if they intended to vote “No,” because it “makes them look bad.”

King didn’t name the individual, and didn’t specify which vote this referred to.
But if true, it is a serious breach of democratic principles — elected councillors should never be intimidated into staying away from meetings.

This allegation demands an independent investigation, and anyone found interfering with councillors’ duties must face serious consequences.

The $100k Professor: A Slap in the Face to Ratepayers

At a time Council claims to be broke, they brought in a consultant — reportedly costing ratepayers nearly $100,000 — to help prepare the IPART application and to tell locals why they need to pay more.

Today, the professor appeared at the ECBC. While some sarcastically called it a “massive crowd,” the video shows around ten people.

A $100k consultant speaking to a near-empty room, while ratepayers are told the city is broke — it’s the kind of decision that would be laughable if it weren’t funded by taxpayers.
And the professor will likely cop complaints from residents — all while pocketing roughly $90k of ratepayer money.

Savings Are There — If Council Bothered to Look

Meanwhile, Council claims there’s nothing left to cut.
Today, four workers were on Saturday overtime rates handing out free native plants.

Upper management remains untouched. Consultants continue to flow in. Waste persists.

Instead of tightening their own belt, Council wants to tighten yours.

The Bottom Line

A Mayor asking councillors, “Which roads do you want closed?”
$100 million in future works removed from the budget.
A nearly $100k professor telling locals to pay more — to a room of ten.
And allegations that a “certain person” pressured councillors to avoid meetings if they planned to vote “No.”

Cessnock isn’t just facing a financial crisis —
it’s facing a crisis of leadership, accountability, and democracy itself.

At this point, administrators may not just be an option…
they might be the only way to restore order.