Public in gallery for special meeting at Burnside Council wouldn’t move, so councillors did
BURNSIDE councillors have been forced to pack up and relocate mid way through a meeting when those in the public gallery refused to leave to allow a debate regarding an internal conflict to be held in confidence.
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BURNSIDE Council was forced to move its meeting last night after the public gallery refused to leave the chamber.
The council had called the special meeting earlier in the day to discuss issues of internal conflict.
Members voted 6:5 to meet in confidence, but the packed public gallery refused to leave when directed by Mayor David Parkin.
Councillors Anne Monceaux, Felicity Lord, Peter Ford, Graham Bills and Jane Davey voted against the move.
After taking a 10-minute break, the council voted 7:4 to shift the meeting to another room and exclude the public, with Cr Davey supporting that move.
The special meeting came after Burnside chief executive Paul Deb last week sent an email to his employees directing them to no longer attend the council’s fortnightly meetings, saying he had a “duty of care” to protect them.
He also banned his employees from any face-to-face contact with Burnside Ward councillor
Lance Bagster.
The move followed an email exchange between Cr Bagster and a senior council staff member, in which Cr Bagster made reference to the violent Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Revenant and spoke of a “target-list”.
But Cr Bagster said his correspondence had been misinterpreted.
Mr Deb was the only staff member to attend last night’s meeting.
He advised a person keeping the minutes of the meeting, who sat outside the chambers, via an earpiece.
Cr Bagster was not at the meeting.
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