From Miranda Devine

As for the next two years, the only person faintly capable of managing NSW out of crisis before the next election is Frank Sartor, the former minister exiled by Rees last year. He has the track record, having been Sydney's longest-serving lord mayor - for nearly 12 years to 2003 - presiding over the "best ever" Olympics and a quadrupling of the city population to fulfil his "Living City" campaign platform. He is a pragmatic can-do manager who transformed a shabby debt-laden city into a thriving metropolis.

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Sydney is not a shabby debt ridden city. It is a thriving metropolis whose heart is beating to a lovely tune that does not satisfy property developers or budding leading politicians.  Sure there are a few problems to sort out and what city does not have any?... Furthermore Sydney is a "city of villages", a pleasing sobriquet I have used for 30 years. Even the present city council has taken up this message: "a city of villages". Hey!

Imagine running expressways like Los Angeles road system through a city like Firenze, Italy!!!

The more high rise we place in the villages, the more we destroy the convivial atmosphere of this great city... But for developers and state coffers there is no money in heritage, apart from discreet tourism in some areas, while the harbour gets the lion share of visitors.

Heritage in places like Leichhardt, Glebe or Balmain seems to become a dirty word as the Pyrmont high rise disease is creeping up the sky and overflowing to former nice and quiet enjoyable places. Shadows are lengthening, even in the midday sun... Most high-rise buildings have "shops" at the bottom that are often dead as dodos and as well presented as an ersatz of margarine tub. The City does not have to suffer an Americanisation of horror signage like Parramatta Road was now slowly being cleaned up, with retention of heritage values in many places...

Sartor was the promoter/developer's friend. He instituted laws that by-passes councils in regard to whatever can or cannot be built, including in sensitive areas. Consultation with present inhabitants was zilch-ed. He got thrown out of cabinet with good reasons... Many of his pride of construction are horrors of mixed-up styles and compromised living. A building like the Horizon, as fine a building as it is, should never have been built. A "fine" building in the wrong place. Sartor? the wrong pollie at the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong position. 

Luckily for us, most "Sydney councils" (suburbs) were not under the paws of Sartor when he was mayor of the "city"...

Nathan was the first, and the only, leader to actually remove Obeid and Tripodi from their positions. He had the foresight, as well as the courage and the determination, to take on these factional heavyweights for the good of the Party and the State.

For his efforts, the factions came down on Nathan and he was savagely and publicly pushed from the top job.

Obeid and Tripodi both came back to the cabinet even while as the premier’s office door was swinging closed behind Rees on his way out.

Before the caucus meeting that saw Rees go in as premier and come out a backbencher, Nathan gave a speech in front of the press. The full speech can be seen here, however here are some excerpts:

Throughout the past 15 months, my ability to do good has been impaired at every turn.

A malign and disloyal group well known to the NSW community has made the business of government almost impossible.

The presence of such a group within the nation’s oldest and proudest political Party is intolerable.

Their treachery and disloyalty can be borne no longer.

For that reason, I embarked three weeks ago on a campaign to clean up NSW politics and break the hold of these malignant forces on the public life of our State.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/the-incorruptible-nathan-rees/

Nathan Rees was replaced by Kristina Keneally eventually. She tried her darnest to get rid of the leeches but she had her own "other" problems. As a committed Catholic with a Yankee accent, her "local" Catholic colleagues did not like the way she had been "parachuted" and resented her beyond redemption. As we all know, Catholics hold grudges the size of Stalinist gulags (beware of the Catholic monk, Abbott). Anyone who's seen Kristina recently would have noticed a beautiful intelligent radiant woman at peace with herself. She did not do a bad job at the time, considering the infightings that had infiltrated Labor NSW and having to deal with all the Obeid/Macdonald truancy which she would not been made aware of except her delicate nose would tell her things were not kosher...