Independent mediator warns Burnside councillor Lance Bagster’s ‘high risk behaviour’ pose safety risk

A BURNSIDE councillor poses a “significant risk” to the safety of staff and elected members and urgent action is needed, an independent mediator has warned.

Burnside councillor Lance Bagster.

• Lance Bagster reported to police for allegedly making threats

A BURNSIDE councillor poses a “significant risk” to the safety of staff and elected members and urgent action is needed, an independent mediator has warned.

Lance Bagster’s “willingness to engage in high risk behaviour” has put council employees under threat of serious harm, according to human resources consultant Theressa Hines, who was brought in to mediate an ongoing feud between Mr Bagster and Burnside chief executive Paul Deb.

But Mr Bagster, right, has rejected Ms Hines’s findings as “unfair and unjust” and said he felt the claims against him were part of a campaign by the council to destroy his reputation.

In an email this month to Burnside acting chief executive Martin Cooper, Ms Hines said the councillor’s stream of “aggressive, threatening (and) goading” emails to senior staff should be reported to the Fair Work Commission. “There appears to be no barriers to his actions,” Ms Hines’s email stated. “This risk is so significant that I believe it places other elected members, the CEO, the acting CEO and senior executive at risk of serious harm.”

Ms Hines was contracted to prepare a “2-5 page” report with recommendations on how to manage the relationship between Mr Bagster and Mr Deb in the future.

But she last week informed Mr Cooper the report had ballooned to more than 100 pages — and was only 40 per cent complete — after she uncovered “well over 100” incidents.

She said she believed the council could not afford to wait for the investigation to be completed before it acted, such was the seriousness of the matter.

A Safe Work SA spokesman last week confirmed it was investigating “a complaint at Burnside Council”, while The Advertiser understands Mr Bagster’s conduct has also been reported to police, the State Ombudsman Wayne Lines and Local Government Minister Geoff Brock.

Mr Bagster last week had not seen Ms Hines’s report, but was aware of its findings.

“I have not bullied and harassed anyone,” Mr Bagster said. “They (the council) are doing this to make me look like some sort of bully and they are trying to gather the facts that support that — it is unfair and unjust.”

Mr Deb unexpectedly took leave from the council just days before Mr Bagster called a special meeting last week to “review” the chief executive’s performance and future.

That meeting was abandoned after seven elected members refused to show up.

Mr Bagster said he wanted the council chief to “change his attitude” to defuse tensions between the pair. He had no plans to stand down from his position as an elected member.

“For a start, I am not the problem,” he said.

“If I move on, it will be one of the other guys that will be targeted.”

Mr Cooper declined to comment on Ms Hines’s report.