Glenorchy report released
Tasmania’s Board of Inquiry has reported on what it calls the “unethical” leadership of the Glenorchy City Council.
Just a day after Glenorchy general manager Peter Brooks resigned, the report was tabled in State Parliament, with 22 key findings on the council's operations and leadership.
The inquiry reveals a culture of animosity, defiance and distrust within the Glenorchy council.
These issues were behind several aldermen challenging the authority of then-mayor Kristie Johnston, breaching meeting regulations and failing to prioritise the interests of ratepayers.
It focused in particular on the “dysfunctional relationship” between Ms Johnston and the council's general manager Peter Brooks.
“The general manager failed to provide support for the mayor, and support for the office of the mayor, in ways which reduced her capacity to undertake the duties of office,” the report says.
It noted that after the 2014 Glenorchy council election, the “majority of aldermen did not reconcile themselves to the outcome ... particularly the popular election of [Kristie] Johnston as mayor”.
“These aldermen henceforth failed to support the mayor as the leader of the community, and failed to show the respect due to her office,” the report said.
“The resultant discord was exacerbated by partisanship displayed by the general manager towards the faction opposed to the mayor, and by the persistent provision of poor and/or inaccurate advice on governance and operational matters, particularly that provided by the Director of Corporate Governance and General Counsel.
“This situation worsened as aldermen aligned themselves more strongly against the mayor and her supporters, both within council and in the community.”
The report concluded that Glenorchy had “failed to perform many of its functions” due to the ructions, which “seriously affected” its operations.