When I stepped back from Council, I did so with clarity and optimism — not just about where our cities were headed, but about the role planning could play in shaping our future. For over two decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of planning, politics, and community, as a mayor, consultant, and researcher. I’ve seen the power of good planning to create liveable, inclusive, future-ready places. I’ve also seen how easily it can be derailed by short-term thinking — and how costly that can be for clients, communities, and councils alike. Greiss Planning exists to bring clarity, rigour, and steady leadership to the approvals process, so good projects can move forward with confidence.
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This article opens with a lighter civic update: a refreshed Campbelltown Council chamber, including a new heritage-toned feature wall behind the Mayor and General Manager. Mayor George Greiss is quoted approving the update while reinforcing a traditional view that the chamber should remain a place for serious decision-making rather than a venue for hire. It’s a small but symbolic piece about civic setting and the tone of governance — how public institutions present themselves as places of authority and public accountability.
The article then shifts into the substance of the first council meeting for 2024, describing a lively chamber and debate around a motion concerning foreign flags on council flagpoles. It reports the voting split and the argument from opponents that the proposal could be divisive in a multicultural community, while also noting a governance detail: applications for flag-raising were revealed to be decided by the mayor and general manager. The piece also covers a separate decision to include the national anthem at the start of meetings, introduced via a public address, signalling how symbolic civic questions can quickly become politically charged in local government.
Read more → Mayor happy with council chamber makeover, but it’s not for hire