A council staff member has been reprimanded after posting on social media that young graffiti artists deserve a “good kick up the a — e”. Shannon Cochran, who said he was employed as the City of Ballarat’s graffiti officer, made the comments while responding to a public post about graffiti on Facebook. Responding to a post from Ballarat resident Joe complaining about his recently graffitied fence, Mr Cochran offered some strong words of advice. “Hey joe, theyre (sic) mainly kids 11-16. Need a good kick up the a — e! What the hell would their parents think?!”. “Parents wouldn’t know where the little pricks r (sic) or what theyre (sic) up too!” Using more strong language, Mr Cochran continued to offer tips to Ballarat residents on how to tackle the scourge of graffiti. “If anyone out there knows the names of the little b—–ds who ruin peoples property by spraying sh-t graffiti around id (sic) love to have them n (sic) take them to the police!” City of Ballarat chief executive officer Justine Linley said Mr Cochran’s comments on social media did not reflect the official position of the council. “The organisation has advised the relevant employee accordingly and initiated further training in relation to council’s Code of Conduct and relevant policies,” Ms Linley said. “The City of Ballarat is committed to the removal of graffiti vandalism, and with limited resources works closely with community stakeholders to deliver proactive and creative graffiti prevention and removal programs.”
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