Bad behaviour at Adelaide City Council halts meeting

The heated argument between two Adelaide City councillors that got out of control could see them booted from future council meetings under major local government reforms.

Adelaide City councillor Mary Couros, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor and councillor Anne Moran.

• Analysis: Time for councillors to stop the stupidity
• Adelaide City Councillors to have training in how to play nice

Mayors could be given the power to boot unruly councillors from meetings under major local government reforms.

Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll made the call after this week’s Adelaide City Council meeting descended into chaos.

Mr Knoll told The Advertiser mayors would be able to address “poor behaviour” and infighting because it had become a “big problem” for some South Australian councils.

Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll made the call after this week’s Adelaide City Council meeting descended into chaos.

Adelaide City Council had to call a five-minute recess at its Tuesday night meeting because elected members were hurling abuse at each other.

It prompted Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad to say councillors were wasting time with infighting and some long-term “dinosaur” councillors were causing friction.

Mr Knoll said infighting was “hurting” ratepayers, stalling development and impacting service delivery.

“Stamping out council infighting and addressing broader concerns around conduct is a key consideration we will be addressing through our local government reforms," Mr Knoll said.

“We are working to give mayors the power to deal with and stamp out immature and disruptive behaviour in council chambers.”

It could include expelling councillors from meetings, he said.

He did not say whether a certain amount of “warnings” would lead to complete expulsion from council.

Under the Local Government Act, mayors cannot evict members, but the council can pass a motion to make them leave the chamber.

Following furious yelling between councillors at Tuesday night’s meeting, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor called a recess only for a heated discussion between councillors Anne Moran and Mary Couros to spill into the corridors.

Antics during the entire meeting were compared to a “horror show” and likened to the scenes to blockbuster film The Exorcist.

Simon Zou, Mary Couros, Alex Hyde, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, Anne Moran, Helen Donovan Back Arman Abrahimzadeh, Housman Abiad, Robert Simms, Franz Knoll, Jessy Khera and Phillip Martin. Picture: AAP/Russell Millard

Cr Abiad, part of the council’s Team Adelaide faction, came out after the meeting and said it was time to focus on representing ratepayers.

He said some long-term councillors had to stop bullying and infighting because it was not accepted by a “new generation” of councillors.

“It is time those dinosaurs just give up and go home,” Cr Abiad said. “Our generation does not tolerate this behaviour … this has got to stop.

“It is all petty and disgusting and distracting from the incredible things we are doing.”

He said the Team Adelaide faction had passed more than 30 motions together.

Opposing faction member Cr Philip Martin said tension in the chamber had become “palpable” most of the time.

“I am sick of factionalism because it is the enemy of good decision making,” Cr Martin said.

“What is distressing to witness is serious personal attacks on character, both inside and outside of the chamber.”

Ms Verschoor, who said she did not want to turn into Judge Judy with a gavel at the council meetings, was optimistic that the council’s behaviour would improve.

Yelling between Adelaide City councillors forced Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor to suspend a meeting, before the arguments spilt out into the corridor.

Ms Verschoor called a five minute recess during last night’s council meeting, after a debate on elected members’ interactions with developers descended into councillors hurling abuse at each other.

During the recess there was a heated confrontation between Cr Anne Moran and Cr Mary Couros in the corridor.

Cr Anne Moran claimed a red-faced Cr Couros came up to her in the corridor, yelling at her, saying she had been picked on.

She said she felt intimidated when Cr Couros allegedly came up near her face, yelling.

“I still feel shocked about it,” Cr Moran said.

“She came rushing at me, with a scarlet red face saying why are you doing this to me … I told her to settle down.

“She started screaming ‘You disrespect my relationship by calling my defacto husband my boyfriend’.

“(Cr) Arman (Abrahimzadeh) was holding her back and basically said, I remember, ‘Mary, Mary, you are better than this’.”

Cr Couros said she told Cr Moran she was fed up with bullying inside the chamber.

“I told her we had to stop this sort of behaviour in the chamber … I was pulling up on behaviour and we have to act appropriately,” Cr Couros said.

“I was told by a fellow colleague to walk away because it was not worth having these discussions.

“I am totally mortified (by allegations of physical intimidation).”

Ms Vershoor asked councillors during the meeting to “keep our comments to the motion at hand, not make them personal”.

“I don’t want to turn into Judge Judy, so please keep your comments to the business at hand.

“That would be most appreciated, otherwise I will have a gavel here next week.”

But a heated exchange between Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad and Cr Philip Martin then triggered her decision to halt the meeting to let everyone cool down.

“I am happy to (speak to the motion), so long as the abuse stops,” Cr Martin said.

“Speak to the motion, councillor,” Mr Abiad said, before the pair continued shouting at each other.

As councillors walked out of the chamber still bickering, Ms Verschoor told them “to take it outside” and be respectful in the chamber.

Some councillors compared the antics to a “horror show”, with Cr Jessy Khera likening the scenes to blockbuster film The Exorcist.

The debate centred on a proposal to support a voluntary register, on which elected members would log any dealings with developers.

Cr Robert Simms, a former Greens senator, had called for the register to improve council transparency.

Earlier in the meeting, Cr Simms said he was sick of “pathetic factionalism” and was disappointed with councillors’ bad behaviour, especially when proposals should be considered on merit.

Cr Phil Martin said the council had become “dysfunctional”.

Ms Couros said she told Cr Moran she was fed up with bullying inside the chamber.

Once the meeting resumed, the motion about the voluntary register was defeated.

The Advertiser revealed earlier this month Adelaide City Council chief executive Mark Goldstone called for a training session about how to play nice following another fiery council meeting where Cr Moran called Cr Arman Abrahimzadeh a “dickhead”.

That training, with a lawyer next week, will “revisit” the council’s code of conduct.

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