Tea Tree Gully mayor fails to return his chains and robe by Friday deadline

Tea Tree Gully Council Mayor Kevin Knight has ignored demands from elected members to return the mayoral robes and ceremonial chains by Friday afternoon.

Under siege Tea Tree Gully mayor Kevin Knight has failed to return his ceremonial chains and robes to the council by the 4pm Friday deadline.

Elected members demanded their return in the latest measure to sideline Mr Knight after he ignored several requests to resign.

In a statement on Friday, the council said the “historically significant items” were still missing.

“We will now seek further advice as to how best to recover them,” the statement read.

“No further comment will be made.”

The returned robes and chains would be placed “under lock and keys”, minutes from a special meeting of council on Tuesday night revealed.

“In the event that Mayor Knight fails to comply with this request, the CEO (would) be requested to seek further advice on the matter,” the minutes stated.

At the meeting, elected members also clarified that the mayor would only be invited to council meetings and elected member workshops.

Tea Tree Gully Council demanded Mayor Kevin Knight apologise for his awkward exchange with a TV news crew on April 19. Picture: 7 News

“And for all other council activities and events the mayor shall not receive an invitation,” a council report read.

When asked if Mr Knight would be punished for attending a council activity where council staff are present, apart from meetings and workshops, a council spokeswoman said “noncompliance” could be dealt with under its code of conduct.

It comes after Mr Knight’s request for leave of absence on “medical grounds” last week was rejected by elected members.

Mr Knight informed the chief executive officer John Moyle before last Tuesday (April 27) night’s meeting he could be an absentee and he would apply for leave of absence if this was the case.

Mr Knight then failed to appear at the meeting.

Tea Tree Gully Mayor Kevin Knight. Picture: Keryn Stevens

However, elected members did not support Mr Knight’s formal application for leave and did not make comment on the request.

“If there is no mover or seconder for this that means the leave of absence is not granted by the council,” Deputy Mayor Lucas Jones said.

A council spokesman said the mayor can be removed under the Local Government Act if he missed three consecutive council meetings.

However, it would take a resolution of council.

EARLIER:

It comes just days after Mr Knight refused to tell the council if he would follow its request to resign by the 5pm deadline on Friday, April 30.

Elected members had asked Mr Knight to resign and apologise for an awkward exchange with a TV news crew last week, following a special meeting of council on April 20.

Mr Knight also did not attend that meeting.

Cr Jones told reporters at that meeting the council was prepared to go to court to remove Mr Knight from office through the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

A council spokeswoman said the Ombudsman, once it had carried out its own investigation, had power to require a council, via the chief executive officer, to lodge a complaint against an elected member in SACAT.

Cr Rob Unger asked the council to write to all staff outlining its commitment to a safe workplace. Picture: Matt Loxton.

Mr Knight was found to have breached the council’s code of conduct 31 times following an independent investigation by Norman Waterhouse Lawyers.

It centres around an October 2, 2019 incident in the Modbury civic centre where Mr Knight was found to have patted a female staffer on the backside with a rolled up document.

Mr Knight has been contacted for further comment.

Meanwhile, in a motion attached to tonight’s council agenda, Cr Rob Unger has called for the council to write to all staff, expressing its position and support for “providing a safe and respectful working environment for all staff, free of bullying and sexual harassment”.

“I feel that as an elected body more can be done to convey, that the health, safety and wellbeing our entire workforce remains front of mind,” the motion read.

“We will not tolerate behaviour that fails to reasonably meet community expectations, and that we are committed to providing a safe working environment.”