Tea Tree Gully council mayor Kevin Knight’s request rejected by Ombudsman

An embattled mayor who breached the code of conduct 31 times has been delivered another blow as the council he controls fights to have him ousted.

The state Ombudsman has refused to intervene in the case of under-siege Tea Tree Gully mayor Kevin Knight, who is fighting to clear his name.

Mr Knight wrote to South Australian Ombudsman Wayne Lines in September last year expressing concern a conflict of interest had marred an investigation into him by the council.

He asked for Mr Lines to investigate the breaches himself.

Mr Lines responded by saying undertaking an investigation was not in the public interest, according to the council’s June 14 meeting minutes.

The original investigation found Mr Knight had breached the council’s code of conduct 31 times including by labelling a council employee he patted on the backside with a rolled up document a “$2 tramp”.

Tea Tree Gully Mayor Kevin Knight at the Tea Tree Gully council chambers. Picture: Mark Brake

The letter to the Ombudsman also claimed the council ignored the alleged conflict of interest and said findings by investigating law firm Norman Waterhouse “were not sound because of the evidence” they relied upon.

Mr Knight said the allegations the investigation unsurfaced were untrue and he would fight them. Mr Knight has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

A council spokesperson said they welcomed the Ombudsman’s correspondence and would continue to push for Mr Knight to be ousted.

“(The council) has requested that mayor Kevin Knight resign from his elected position … several times over the past two years,” they said. “(The council’s) position remains the same.”

Tea Tree Gully mayor Kevin Knight publicly apologised for shouting at election rival Paul Barbaro during a council meeting. Picture: Colin James

But Mr Knight told The Messenger he would continue to fight the allegations despite the latest set back.

He said his correspondence with the Ombudsman included statutory declarations he believed proved the allegations were false.

“If the investigator had found me not guilty of a breach of the code of conduct and the young woman had found evidence to prove that I had lied, do you think (the Ombudsman) would have still said it’s not in the public interest?” Mr Knight said.

Since June 2020 Mr Knight has been the subject of four motions of no confidence against him but has steadfastly remained in his mayoral role.

Mr Knight drew concerns towards him after Channel 7 footage of him leaving the council chambers showed him lashing out at the news crew who were asking him about sexual harassment allegations.

In May last year the council again attempted to sideline its own mayor when it claimed he ignored demands to return mayoral robes and chains.

He said it was because he had lent them to the bereaved family of a former elected member.