{"id":179,"date":"2026-04-05T14:49:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T14:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innermesscouncil.com\/?page_id=179"},"modified":"2026-04-18T18:12:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T18:12:03","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/innermesscouncil.com\/index.php\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About-Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/span>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Who We Are<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Inner Mess Council (IMC)<\/strong> is a community\u2011built platform started by a 50+ super\u2011good\u2011looking Ashfield resident<\/strong> who was born, raised, educated, worked, and survived in the Inner West. Yes \u2014 super good\u2011looking<\/em>. Confidence is free, and the Inner West Council Regime can\u2019t regulate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMC was created by someone who watched the Inner West drift into bureaucratic fog and thought: \u201cSurely we can do better than this circus.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Where It Started<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ashfield Council wasn\u2019t perfect \u2014 but it was lean, local, and functional<\/strong>. They focused on the fundamentals:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • collecting garbage<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • managing streets and traffic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • maintaining parks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • answering phones<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • actually helping residents<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • helping business develop and grow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Ashfield Council felt like a local service<\/em>, not a distant administration. It was human. It was responsive. It was ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you forgot to take out your garbage, one quick phone call to Ashfield Council and they\u2019d arrange a pickup the next day.
    No forms.
    No tickets.
    No \u201cyour request has been logged.\u201d
    Just service
    and as my immigrant father taught me you will leave half a case of VB beer in the bin for Xmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    What We Lost<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Then came the Super Functional Lean Clean Inner West Council Regime\u2122<\/strong> \u2014 the amalgamation that promised efficiency and delivered\u2026 well\u2026 the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • services deteriorate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • communication collapse<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • maintenance fall behind<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • accountability evaporate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • local identity dissolve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      You raise an issue today and what do you get?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • an automatic reply<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • a \u201cjust confirming this is an automatic response\u201d<\/strong> template,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • or the classic \u201cI\u2019m too busy right now\u201d<\/strong> email.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Before the election, councillors were everywhere \u2014 at events, at community spaces, even at the local bars. You could talk to them, give advice, share concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        After the election?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        You raise an issue today and what do you get?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • an automatic reply<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • a \u201cjust confirming this is an automatic response\u201d<\/strong> template,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • or the classic \u201cI\u2019m too busy right now\u201d<\/strong> email.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Before the election, councillors were everywhere \u2014 at events, at community spaces, even at the local bars. You could talk to them, give advice, share concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          After the election?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Silence. No follow\u2011through. No visibility. Just templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The Referendum No One Likes to Mention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          In 2021<\/strong>, Inner West residents were asked a simple question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Should the Inner West Council be de\u2011amalgamated back into Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • 62.49% voted YES<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • 37.51% voted NO<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            A majority. A mandate. A democratic decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            And yet\u2026 nothing changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The community spoke. The system shrugged. And the Inner West Council Regime<\/strong> rolled on \u2014 bigger, slower, and more disconnected than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            What we’re here to do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            We\u2019re here to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • document<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • decode<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • demystify<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • communicate<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • and talk about the stuff you used to find in the Courier<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Both sides of the story. Not the recycled, four\u2011colour, cold\u2011press printer\u2011paper propaganda<\/strong> that clogs your letterbox telling you how magical Marrickville and Leichhardt are while Ashfield quietly gets the leftovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Because details matter. Paper stock matters. And residents can tell the difference between community information<\/strong> and PR mulch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Our Style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              we blend<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • 40% satire<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • 60% real community content<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Because sometimes the only way to survive the chaos is to laugh at it while fixing it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Our Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                To give Ashfield and the Inner West:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • a voice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • a platform<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • a record<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • a community hub<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • a watchdog with personality<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  We\u2019re not here to tear everything down. We\u2019re here to build something better<\/strong>, one honest page at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Inner Mess Council \u2014 Built by residents, for residents.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Who We Are The Inner Mess Council (IMC) is a community\u2011built platform started by a 50+ super\u2011good\u2011looking Ashfield resident who was born, raised, educated, worked, and survived in the Inner West. Yes \u2014 super good\u2011looking. Confidence is free, and the Inner West Council Regime can\u2019t regulate it. IMC was created by someone who watched the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":180,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_swt_meta_header_display":false,"_swt_meta_footer_display":false,"_swt_meta_site_title_display":false,"_swt_meta_sticky_header":false,"_swt_meta_transparent_header":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-179","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout-Us - Inner Mess Council<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/innermesscouncil.com\/index.php\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About-Us - Inner Mess Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who We Are The Inner Mess Council (IMC) is a community\u2011built platform started by a 50+ super\u2011good\u2011looking Ashfield resident who was born, raised, educated, worked, and survived in the Inner West. 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Yes \u2014 super good\u2011looking. Confidence is free, and the Inner West Council Regime can\u2019t regulate it. 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