Mayor Kevin Knight posts 15-minute video criticising council and LGA
This controversial mayor has again taken to Facebook to protest his innocence and slam his rivals, despite a vote to oust him last time he did it. See the video.
North & North East
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Tea Tree Gully Mayor Kevin Knight has slammed his own council, chief executive, councillors and the local government investigative body in a 15-minute social media outburst.
In the publicly posted Facebook video, Mr Knight openly discussed confidential details of code of conduct complaints made against him, and claimed the Local Government Association investigation panel had erred in finding he engaged in code of conduct breaches.
Previous tirades on social media, including another video on Facebook, had seen his council vote to oust him from his position of mayor by passing a motion of no confidence.
Mr Knight, who was in 2021 found to have breached the code of conduct 31 times amid claims of sexually inappropriate behaviour, opened the video by denying any wrongdoing during his mayoral tenure.
“The allegations against me are false … I have gained a reputation for ethical behaviour, high integrity but above all else, honesty,” he said.
“I’m here to tell you, there never has been any sexual harassment in my time as mayor, nor would there ever be.”
The latest round of code of conduct breaches by Mr Knight were exposed after he took his mayoral robe and chain home despite councillors voting to remove him from ceremonial duties.
In total Mr Knight had been found to have committed 35 breaches – at a rate of one every six-and-a-half weeks – during his latest tenure as mayor.
The finding of the Local Government Associations independent investigation recommended Mr Knight apologise to the council for his conduct.
Responding directly to the robe related allegations, Mr Knight apologised – but not to the council.
“The only apology I would like to offer, really, is to Lesley Purdom’s daughter,” he said.
“When I lent you the robes and chains for the funeral, because I couldn’t be there myself and I know Lesley would have loved it, I had no idea that an act done in good faith with good intentions would turn out to be such a horrible (thing), dragged up into the press three times now.
“It’s just ridiculous, I apologise, if I had known that was going to happen I’d have just given the robes back and said, ‘put them where you like’.”
Mr Knight then said he ignored a council imposed deadline to return the robes claiming they were his “sole responsibility” and that he had “done nothing to not have the responsibility”.
“I’ve never been charged with any criminal offence, just purely and simply ridiculous allegations,” he said.
During the quarter hour outburst Mr Knight directly addressed retiring council chief executive John Moyle and deputy mayor Lucas Jones.
The Local Government Association independent investigation panel was also in Mr Knight’s crosshairs and he said it “erred” in its ruling.
“I personally feel I have done nothing to deserve any of this,” he said.
“To all the mayors out there, these findings against me mean you have no autonomy anymore.
“The LGA panel have decided that I am responsible to the elected members of council when in my view I was elected at large, so I am responsible to the residents.”
The Local Government Association has been contacted for comment.
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