Tea Tree Gully Council councillors call on mayor Kevin Knight to resign
Tea Tree Gully councillors have voted to demand the resignation of their embattled mayor and ask him to remove himself from office.
North & North East
Don't miss out on the headlines from North & North East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Tea Tree Gully mayor expects to be pushed aside
- How to make the most of out your Advertiser subscription
Tea Tree Gully Council has voted to demand the resignation of Mayor Kevin Knight.
Elected members assembled on Monday evening to unanimously pass a motion asking Mr Knight to stand down from office.
The motion also called on Mr Knight to apologise for making public details of complaints he has lodged against the council’s administration.
Mr Knight revealed last week that he had complained about chief executive John Moyle, two senior staff and the council’s law firm about their handling of a sexual harassment complaint against him.
In a motion prepared by his deputy, Damian Wyld, it was alleged Mr Knight demonstrated “poor leadership in providing confidential, offensive and defamatory commentary to the media, particularly about council employees and elected members”.
The motion was debated in public before councillors voted to:
MOVE a vote of no confidence in Mr Knight;
ASK him to make a public apology within five business days;
AMEND a council policy to remove “facilities, support or services that are specifically provided for the benefit of the office of the mayor including but not limited to the mayoral office”;
REQUEST Mr Knight “to resign from his elected position”.
A report about Mr Knight’s decision to publicly reveal the complaints he made about staff to the media was circulated by Mr Wyld before the meeting.
Opening the 45-minute debate, he said it “gives me absolutely no pleasure” to call for the removal of Mr Knight, a Tea Tree Gully councillor since 1993.
“It is because it is necessary,” he said.
Mr Wyld said Mr Knight’s actions in making public his complaints against senior staff had brought the council into disrepute.
“He is tarnishing the reputation of the CEO and the reputation of the council,” he said.
My Wyld said Mr Knight had spent many years serving the city of Tea Tree Gully, achieving “some great results” but had undermined community confidence in the council.
“It is time to restore that confidence,” he said.
Mr Wyld said Mr Knight had been given ample opportunities since the sexual harassment complaint was upheld against him to make amends but had chosen not to take them.
“This (vote of no confidence) is an extraordinary move but it is absolutely necessary,” he said.
“As the instigator of tonight’s meeting, I am happy to wear it because I believe this needs to be done.
“This is about a vote of confidence in our staff and in our council.”
Mr Wyld said the council had no power to sack Mr Knight.
“We can only hope that based on his good achievements and all he has done for our city that we can part in peace and move forward for the wellbeing of our community.”
Seconding the motion, Cr Olivia Savvas said she wanted the council to show the rest of the state it was not in turmoil, as has been widely reported.
“It has been one individual,” she said.
“I have full confidence in our elected body and our staff but I have no confidence, however, in Mayor Knight.”
Cr Lyn Petrie said Mr Knight had brought the reputation of the council “into question”.
“We have good, hard working staff who don’t deserve to be tarnished by a badly working brush,” she said.
“I have held Kevin Knight in high regard, he has been very kind to me but we need to cauterise this management wound without further delay.”
Cr Rob Unger said Tea Tree Gully had “achieved great things” under Mr Knight’s leadership but it was time he left the council.
“I don’t have any faith in him as mayor anymore,” he said.
“It is time to step up and make decisions.
“We have a responsibility to our broader community, our residents and our workforce.”
Cr Unger said Mr Knight had made a public undertaking late last year to stand aside if he lost the confidence of his elected members.
“I urge him to take on board his words and let us just part ways for the best of the community and do what is right,” he said.
Cr Lucas Jones said Mr Knight was inflicting a “great deal of damage on the council”.
“My patience has waned for a long time,” he said.
“Residents deserve so much better. Leading the council is a privilege, not a right.”
Mr Jones said the council was not in a state of chaos or turmoil, as was being depicted.
“This could have been solved in a much simpler and easier way but it wasn’t,” he said.
“We need to stop this continued dysfunction from one individual.”
Cr Peter Field said Mr Knight had taken too long to address concerns raised about his behaviour following the sexual harassment complaint lodged against him last October.
“We have, since earlier this year, passed a number of resolutions asking the mayor to do various things and removing various responsibilities from him,” he said.
“In my opinion, the mayor has not taken sufficient responsibility for what occurred.
“It was open for the mayor to make an apology and make amends but it only happened recently and, frankly, it has continued to remain festering.”
Cr Field said Mr Knight’s decision to make public the complaints he had made against staff was a breach of confidentiality warranting disciplinary action.
“I feel quite sad having to do it but we have been left with no alternative,” he said.
Councillors voted 10-0 for the motion, with Cr Brett Rankine leaving the meeting before the vote was taken.
Mr Knight declined to comment while he considered his options, including seeking legal advice.