Gawler mayor Karen Redman wants to become Local Government Association president
Mayors are starting to jockey to lead South Australian councils as they face major reforms, with one northern mayor seeking the support of her elected members despite internal conflict.
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Gawler mayor Karen Redman is seeking the support of her councillors to become the next president of the Local Government Association.
Mrs Redman has completed a nomination form which has been sent to elected members ahead of a council meeting on Tuesday night.
In it, Mrs Redman said she believed she had the required skills and expertise to replace current president Sam Telfer.
Under the rules of the LGA, the position of president must be rotated every two years between metropolitan and regional councils.
Gawler is part of the organisation’s Greater Adelaide Region of Councils (GAROC), which makes her eligible to seek the presidency.
Mrs Redman has told her elected members she will not nominate if she does not have their support.
The stance comes as the council’s chief executive, Henry Inat, faces an external investigation into bullying allegations, a move Mrs Redman tried earlier this month to block, citing procedural reasons.
Three councillors used local government regulations to force her to hold a special council meeting which voted 6-4 to overturn her decision to reject a motion calling for the investigation.
The councillor behind the motion, Ian Tooley, has long running issues with Mrs Redman and Mr Inat which have culminated in numerous public clashes and several code of conduct complaints.
Mr Tooley, a former secondary school principal, sought the investigation after Mr Inat was criticised on social media and in an union staff survey over his leadership style.
In an email to councillors last week, Mrs Redman said it would “be a bit pointless” running for LGA president without their support.
“I think it would be a great shame if this was the case as it’s a fantastic opportunity to promote what we are doing here in Gawler and have amazing access to government, both state and federal,” she said.
“Female leaders are very much needed and so, in my personal view, we need to get behind our women leaders as much as we can.”
In her nomination form, Mrs Redman — a specialist cancer nurse who has been a Gawler councillor since 2010 and is an LGA board member — said she possessed “high level strategic thinking and capacity to see big picture (sic)”.
Mrs Redman said it was important local government had good leadership as the State Government introduced reforms.
“Our sector is undergoing great change and requires a fresh yet experienced approach as we work through the significant reforms, not least of which is the local government reform bill currently before the Parliament,” she said.
Gawler Council became the subject of widespread media attention when a flow chart of handling media inquiries was sent to newsrooms across South Australia last July without Mrs Redman’s knowledge under Mr Inat’s instructions.