The most serious, this week, involved the finding his behaviour was in serious breach of the council’s code of conduct when he attempted to discredit a witness in a code case he brought against another councillor. (That complaint, against fellow newbie John Chambers for allegedly discriminatory remarks against the South Asian community was dismissed after a preliminary investigation process which, bizarrely, Cr Ong openly resisted participating in.).
Independent investigator barrister Steph Dyhrberg found his behaviour toward the witness particularly egregious.
She was concerned Cr Ong’s behaviour "may have been a deliberate attempt to retaliate" against the witness.
"No-one should be victimised or discredited for agreeing to participate in a code of conduct complaint process," she said in her report to the council.
We agree.
Cr Ong, of course, denies any wrongdoing.
He did not co-operate with the investigation.
Cr Ong does not seem to appreciate he is becoming a laughing stock with the potential to drag down the reputation of the city; a city he professes great affection for. It is more sad than funny.
It may be that he considers he alone has the answers to any of the city’s financial woes and, because of his banking background, everybody should automatically agree with what he says on issues such as how to restructure the city’s debt and be grateful for his insight.
That is not how it works.
If you cannot convince fellow councillors of the worth of your ideas, their practicality or even their legality, they will go nowhere.
It is hard to see Cr Ong has a sufficient grasp on any of this to properly fulfil his role as a councillor.
He has shown he struggles to take advice around proper communication with staff and fellow councillors, confidentiality, proper process, and meeting procedure. He has resorted to theatrical nonsense, playing the victim by putting tape over his mouth to imply he is being gagged.
Silence from him might be preferable to his incoherent outbursts at meetings and on social media.
On March 25, the council will consider Ms Dyhrberg’s report and whether Cr Ong has breached the code. If councillors agree he has, then they will decide on sanctions which could include requesting an apology, having a vote of no-confidence in him, or asking him to consider resigning.
Between now and then Cr Ong needs to do some serious grown-up thinking about whether his continuing in the role is the best thing, both for his own good and that of the city.
Lights, camera, action
At a time when good news seems thin on the ground, it has been fun to watch Dunedin Enterprise’s video pitch to attract film makers to the city.
Featuring one of our home-grown comedians, the irrepressible James Mustapic, the reel is designed to show the diverse locations the city and surrounds offer.
We see him taking on a variety of roles in a range of settings including Middlemarch, Olveston, Blackhead Quarry, the Exchange, the Railway Station, and Otago Peninsula.
Even if we are familiar with many of the locations on show, it is impressive to see them gathered together in this way.
Made in-house by Film Dunedin for less than $20,000, the hope is it will catch the attention of film-makers, producers, location scouts and industry executives and encourage them to explore the opportunities available here.
It manages to convey that while we do not take ourselves too seriously, perhaps they should.
