Burnside Council closes ranks after sacking chief executive Paul Deb

Concerns about a range of performance issues led to the dismissal of former Burnside Council chief executive Paul Deb, as he prepares to fight his shock sacking in court.

Paul Deb back when he was officially appointed as Burnside Council’s chief executive in 2011.

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Burnside Council is locked down and refusing to disclose the circumstances around the dismissal without notice of its long-term chief executive, Paul Deb.

The council has employed a public relations firm to handle its communications over the fallout of Mr Deb’s departure yesterday.

Initial reports say Mr Deb, who worked for the council for 16 years, was dismissed without notice from his $230,000 job at a secret meeting of the council.

It followed allegations he made derogatory comments about elected members.

But The Advertiser has been told the council has had concerns about a range of performance issues, including Mr Deb’s expense account.

Mr Deb’s lawyer Greg Griffin has vowed to fight the dismissal, telling The Advertiser that the matter will be before the Supreme Court as early as next Tuesday.

Tensions have been building since revelations the eastern suburbs council spent more than $1 million in legal fees during the 2017-18 financial year.

Inside the Burnside Council chamber. Picture: Caleb Bond

The majority of the bill was spent on “code of conduct and chamber issues” and the private action of seven people who sought restraining orders in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The Advertiser cannot identify the parties involved in the court case for legal reasons.

By law, corporations cannot take out intervention orders against an individual so each plaintiff took court action in their own name.

Correspondence seen by The Advertiser confirmed Mr Deb made a “discretionary” decision for the council to fund the litigants’ court action.

Sources said the failure of a costly water recycling project, a growing council debt, and Mr Deb’s regular absences from council had been other matters of concern.

The Advertiser has been informed senior manager Barry Cant has been appointed as interim chief executive.

Mr Cant has previously been the council’s urban and community general manager.

Kevin Skinner, from Field PR, confirmed his firm would handle the council’s communications.

“Council will be making comment but we’re meeting to discuss precisely what that will be,” Mr Skinner said.

Councillor Julian Carbone, who was also on the council during the tumultuous period between 2006-2010 when Mr Deb first became interim chief executive, said the decision to sack him was “a very sad outcome.”

“Once again Burnside is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons and it’s not what any of us want,” he said.

Mr Carbone would not comment on whether the decision to sack Mr Deb was unanimous but The Advertiser has been told by sources that it wasn’t.

A council statement said “it would be inappropriate to make any further comment” about the dismissal of Mr Deb.

“The council is focusssing on its core business of supporting its rate payers.”

Burnside Council has often made headlines for all the wrong reasons over several decades.

Mr Deb became acting chief executive at Burnside in 2010 while the council was still under investigation by a State Government-instigated inquiry into allegations of bullying and undue influence by a resident.

Ken Macpherson, a former state auditor-general, spent two years from July 2009, and more than $1.5 million, investigating the council that sat between 2006 and 2010.

He said much of his report related to matters of a criminal nature.

Six former Burnside councillors took Supreme Court action in September 2010 to stop the publication of his draft report and the inquiry was later shut down by the former Weatherill Labor government. The report remains suppressed.

In 2017, former Burnside councillor Lance Bagster was found by Ombudsman Wayne Lines to have committed 12 acts of misconduct, which he labelled an “appalling course of behaviour.”

Mr Deb was subject of an internal inquiry run by an Adelaide law firm, which found that he had failed to act in a professional and reasonable way towards Mr Bagster.

Mr Deb, who joined the council in 2003 and was appointed its chief executive in July 2011, has not returned calls.