Lorraine Rosenberg loses her spot on Onkaparinga Council
Outgoing Onkaparinga mayor Lorraine Rosenberg has been ousted from local government after 18 months of scandal surrounding her council.
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Embattled former Onkaparinga mayor Lorraine Rosenberg, who once said she “ruled with an iron fist”, has been given the boot from local government, losing her bid to be a ward councillor.
It follows more than 18 months of scandal surrounding her council.
Ms Rosenberg lost her place on the council after Electoral Commission results showed she had the fifth-highest number of votes in the Southern Vales ward, losing to Martin Bray and Wayne Olsen, who were both re-elected.
Ms Rosenberg had been at the helm of the council since 2006 and, more recently, became a controversial figure as her council became embroiled in spending scandals.
Reynella mother of two Erin Thompson has taken over the reins as Mayor, vowing to boost the reputation of the council in the eyes of ratepayers.
Ms Rosenberg, who stepped down as the head of the Local Government Association SA in June amid claims her council has tainted local government, did not return calls.
She had previously said it was the “right time” to end her 12-year tenure as mayor at the council, but had put her hand up to run in the Southern Vales ward as a councillor. Onkaparinga’s controversies started with the council paying its chief executive Mark Dowd’s $6818 golf membership joining fee to the prestigious Kooyonga Golf Club in Lockleys.
In February 2018, Freedom of Information documents revealed spending by council staff, which included thousands of dollars on Apple products, flowers, overnight accommodation in city hotels after functions and an Adelaide Oval rooftop climb.
In the wake of the controversies, Ms Rosenberg’s fellow elected members passed a motion of no confidence in her leadership abilities in June.
The only one councillor who voted in favour of Ms Rosenberg at the time, Heidi Greaves, is second in primary votes in Knox ward.
Re-elected councillor Martin Bray said the results showed the community wanted a complete change.