Golden Plains Shire councillor Les Rowe suspended over comments criticising council staff

A Golden Plains Shire councillor has been suspended for a month after an arbiter decided his comments about road works were critical of staff.

Golden Plains councillor Les Rowe has been suspended for a month.

Golden Plains Shire councillor Les Rowe has been suspended for a month after comments he made about road works were deemed critical of staff. But Mr Rowe says he was using his tractor at the time he made the statements to a reporter and was distracted.

At the council’s July 25 meeting, Mr Rowe was placed on a one-month suspension for misconduct after a decision by an arbiter.

Mayor Brett Cunningham made an application for an internal arbitration process on March 20 this year to make a finding of misconduct against Mr Rowe.

The application was in relation to comments made by Mr Rowe regarding the council’s road-grading program, which were reported in the Golden Plains Times newspaper on January 20.

According to arbiter Yehudi Blacher’s report, Mr Cunningham alleged Mr Rowe’s comments supplied to the reporter were “critical of the standard of work of the council grader drivers/outdoor staff” and caused a number of staff to be “visibly upset”.

“Mr Cunningham further alleged that a number of Mr Rowe’s comments were incorrect and misleading,” Mr Blacher said in his report.

“Mr Cunningham stated that, at no time prior to making his comments, did Mr Rowe make contact with the mayor or the council’s communications department as required by the council’s media policy and code of conduct.

“He also apparently failed to raise any concerns he may have had with the quality of the work (with council officials).”

In a submission, Mr Rowe said it was not his “intention to criticise the work of the staff but merely to state the facts as he saw them”.

He said he was distracted during the phone call with the Golden Plains Times reporter as he was working on his tractor and was not given the chance to “proof” his comments before publication.

Mr Blacher said it was apparent that “any reasonable person” would consider Mr Rowe’s comments critical of the staff, and therefore found he had engaged in misconduct.

Mr Rowe was placed on a one-month suspension and has to provide a written apology to council staff.

A Golden Plains Shire spokeswoman said the council did not yet know how much the internal arbitration process would cost ratepayers, however, according to the Local Government Victoria website, arbiters are paid $954 per day by councils.

Mr Rowe also requested a leave of absence from council, from August 26-October 3, 2023.

The spokeswoman said: “Councillors and council officers will continue to work together in the best interests of the Golden Plains Shire community both during Councillor Rowe’s suspension and upon his return.”

It was the second time in the seven months Mr Rowe was subjected to an arbitration process.

In April, Golden Plains councillor Gavin Gamble had reported six claims of misconduct against Mr Rowe, with one withdrawn.

All remaining claims were dismissed except for one that found Mr Rowe had disrespected shire chief executive Eric Braslis in an email where Mr Rowe used the term “snout in the trough” in reference to Mr Braslis.

Mr Rowe is serving his second term as a councillor, and is a lifelong resident of Sutherlands Creek in the south of the shire.

In the council plan 2021-2025, Mr Rowe was described as a strong advocate for the local agricultural industry and rural communities, and dedicated to improving the local road and bridge network among other local issues.

Originally published as Golden Plains Shire councillor Les Rowe suspended over comments criticising council staff