Coteries have a significant presence and influence on the club already and I feel, even from a perception point of view, they should remain separate from the board. If he wants to run then he should step away from the Essendonians.
[/quote]
I’m not sure why. The danger with coteries is that they’ll say that they give the club shiploads of money so they think they should pick the team. Coteries always say that. And if the club says, Okay, go right ahead, and picks the players that are the coteries’ favourites, that’s a real problem.
But it’s the Club’s problem, not the coteries’. The Club should be strong enough to tell them to GAGF, and they’ll pick the best team, thanks very much.
In this case, I don’t have a problem with him being on the board, and if he’s donated a lot of money to the club, good on him. But he’ll be just a board member with one vote. End of story.
I hope the club asks DKP to take over Heffernan’s position. Would be handy having someone on the board to point out all the errors that everyone else is making. Plus someone that knows everything about football
I think the current Board have done an excellent job in rebuilding the Club and think that those up for re-election should be allowed to continue the work they have started. Consolidation is now the key.
Also I think that the a good Board needs to be made up of people with various skills and who represent the various interests of the people they represent. I don’t think the Board needs any more high profile business people supported by the self-appointed ‘power brokers’ of the club.
I’ll be voting for the likes of Katie Lio and Paul Cousins again.
Well he’d be one out of nine. And if there were 9 coterie members they’d all have different opinions.
I’m not saying this guy should be on the Board. There aremany things to weigh up. I’m just saying that the fact that he’s been an Essendonisn shouldn’t be a reason to rule him out.
I am not a Member of the Essendonians, but over the years have regularly attended their events as a guest. They are a diverse bunch of people, some as very wealthy, but most are small business owners or workers who have a deep passion for the Essendon Football Club. It is not exclusive and not just for the rich, though $6000 or so a year is a bit expensive for my plain tastes.
They do raise money for the Club, but I have not seen any political influence, in fact most go out of their way to not exert any pressure. Peter Hughes is a Medical Doctor and has built a good business in medicine and related activities. He has stood down as President and would make a good Board Member.
I reckon Coteries like Essendonians, Lawdons, ■■■■ Reynolds Club etc, all do a great job and do not deserve any scorn. They have more money than most of us, but are generous when it comes to EFC and I applaud them for that.
That said, I will definitely vote for Ms Lio and probably Mr Cousins, unless J Hird was a candidate. I would never vote for Gauci.
