One of the best indications that someone can't do their job is the amount of excuses they use. Ever since Tony Guilfoyle got the top job at City Tatts, members have been subjected to a barrage of jargon, hype and propaganda like never before. There is an underlying thread to this propaganda onslaught - they are all excuses to hide his inability to run the Club.
City Tatts is a very simple operation. It has a few bars and restaurants and 400 poker machines. In the past every part of the Club was easily managed and no excuses were necessary.
The list of excuses used in recent years has grown so big that it's hard to remember them all. So to help you, here is a selection of the excuses used since 2006, together with the reality they are trying to hide. Some of these are truly hilarious, although they show the decline of a once great club.
"..the difficulty of being landlocked on all sides.." (John Healy December 2006)
City Tatts owns a large building in a fantastic location in the centre of Sydney. The passing trade alone guarantees a successful club. Only a complete idiot (or a con-artist) would see that as a disadvantage.
"..we are behind on our building works program due to Management of the operations being directed towards Member issues.." (John Healy June 2007)
It was Healy's decision to embark on a spiteful campaign to reduce members rights - no one forced him to do that. Besides, what possible effect would that have on a building program ?
"..being able to position the Club closer to the Pitt & Market Street intersection and the Pitt Street Mall is of huge significance.." (John Healy March 2008 on buying 194 Pitt St)
When you read something like this you have to wonder if Healy even read it himself before he sent it to members. This is coming from the man who thought our city centre location was a disadvantage. Now he is happy to spend $9 million on an old run-down building - to get us 6 metres closer to the corner. Basically, he is trying to convince us (or himself) that everything in the Club would be so much better if only we were 6 metres closer to the corner ! But the most hilarious part of all this is that, to this day, the additional street frontage has never been used. Now that is something of huge significance !
"..the club continues to trade reasonably well in spite of all the negativity which is being peddled by the media.." (John Kennedy May 2009)
Yes, he actually said that. It's a pity he never stopped to ask why City Tatts was the only club in Sydney whose trade was affected by this "media negativity".
"The closure of Centrepoint has impacted negatively on club trading.." (John Kennedy November 2009)
They used this excuse for about 2 years. The only problem was that the re-opening of Centrepoint did not impact positively on club trading - which exposed this "explanation" for the excuse it always was.
"..a postal ballot...will cost the club of a minimum $30,000.." (John Kennedy August 2010)
Obviously Kennedy feels that money spent on members is wasted. But in the same magazine he talks about a "research trip" to Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong but does not mention the cost. It cost $56,000 for 4 people ! (including Kennedy)
The other hilarious aspect of the "research trip" is the reference to how casinos in Macau have coped with "the restrictions on Visas for mainland Chinese". Apparently, "their strategies will be of great interest as to whether they are applicable to the CTC circumstances" !! Really ? How Exactly ? Is Clover Moore going to require visas to travel from Parramatta to Sydney CBD ?
"..abnormal expenses were attributable to a handful of members.." (John Kennedy February 2011)
The handful of members were the ones who knew how badly the Club was being run and consistently tried to alert other members before it was too late. Kennedy knows he should have taken action years before on Guilfoyle's incompetence. That would have removed the cause of member protests. The "handful of members" were doing what Kennedy should have done.
"..there will be ongoing costs to adequately defend this matter.." (John Kennedy February 2011 on the Supreme Court case)
Another blatant attempt to deceive members. What Kennedy does not say is that the member took action in the Supreme Court only after the Club refused to have the case heard by an independent arbitrator - where Kennedy would have to prove his allegations, not have them "rubber-stamped" by a weak committee. The Committee are entirely responsible for the costs of the Supreme Court case (now up to $150,000).
"..the recent long period of wet weather didn't help matters.." (Patrick Campion May 2012 "explaining" the Club's poor trading)
Well, it had to happen. It was only a matter of time before someone blamed the weather for how City Tatts is doing !
Save City Tatts Committee
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