Call for Onkaparinga City mayor Lorraine Rosenberg to resign over CEO golf fees ‘cover-up’

EXCLUSIVE: The mayor of Adelaide’s largest council kept secret an investigation into allegations of maladministration from elected members — triggering calls for her to resign.

Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg arrives at the Onkaparinga Council offices in Noarlunga. Picture: Matt Loxton

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THE mayor of Adelaide’s largest council kept secret an investigation into allegations of maladministration from elected members — triggering calls for her to resign for “keeping

people in the dark.”

Onkaparinga City councillors first learned of SA Ombudsman’s Wayne Lines probe into a hush-hush golf membership payment of $6818 for council chief executive Mark Dowd after it was exclusively revealed in The Advertiser on February 15.

On the same day, Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg emailed councillors saying she couldn’t discuss the report with them because it was “held under confidential provisions until now’’ — backing up her claim at a council meeting on February 21.

Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg, City of Onkaparinga and passionate Port Adelaide fan

Onkaparinga CEO Mark Dowd playing golf.

However, Mr Lines said Ms Rosenberg, also president of the Local Government Association, sought his authorisation to “discuss my investigation with council members’’ which was granted on September 23 last year.

“The authorisation was granted after Mayor Rosenberg raised the issue with my office and indicated that it would be appropriate for the elected members to have the opportunity to consider and respond to my provisional report (presented in August),’’ the Ombudsman said.

Ms Rosenberg said she did not discuss the investigation with the councillors because the council’s standard practice was “for elected members to receive the Final Reports of any Code of Conduct matter, rather than provisional reports’’.

“Given that my initial consent to consult with the elected members was originally denied, and that I’d already had to commence my actions as Principal Spokesperson, I continued with this approach until the Final Report was received in line with our standard practices,’’ she said.

“A public redacted version of the report as agreed with the Ombudsman’s office was provided to Council on 21 February 2017.’’

Controversy surrounded the payment of the Kooyonga Golf Club membership fee for council boss Mark Dowd, which was kept secret from ratepayers, and the subsequent $25,000 spent on legal advice sought by Ms Rosenberg in response to the investigation.

It was revealed in The Advertiser last week that Mr Dowd has yet to repay the fee payment, despite a promise to do so almost three months ago.

The Ombudsman’s report found there was no “maladministration’’ but said the council was wrong to pay the golf fee and cover it up.

Ms Rosenberg travelled to China last week at ratepayers expense and attended Sunday’s Port Adelaide game in Shanghai.

She has defended the golf fee decision.

But she claimed, as the council spokeswoman, she was just the “messenger’’ because “council made the original decision’’ and she told one ratepayer by email to “direct your views towards those making the decision’’.

However, council records show the decision to pay the golf membership and keep it confidential was made on February 17, 2015, by the Chief Executive Officer Performance Management Committee which comprised Ms Rosenberg and just two other councillors.

The City of Onkaparinga Council Watch Facebook group, representing ratepayers and residents, said it had sought information from the Ombudsman about the role played by Ms Rosenberg in the controversy because “something didn’t seem right’’.

The group’s spokeswoman and former Onkaparinga councillor Yvonne Wenham said Ms Rosenberg should resign for “keeping people in the dark’’.

“The fact the Mayor sought and was granted authority to discuss the investigation but still didn’t tell councillors is an abuse of power and trust,’’ Ms Wenham, 45, said.

“The people who had an opportunity to deal with the investigation had that opportunity taken away from them.’’

Another group member and serving Councillor Don Chapman said Ms Rosenberg had “exceeded .....and abused’’ her position.

He accused her of “misleading’’ the public, “deceiving’’ councillors and failing to take “responsibility for the wrongdoing and thereby limiting the damage to the Council and the elected body and undermining the confidence of the community’’.

The SA Federation of Ratepayers president Kevin Kaeding said Ms Rosenberg should have informed councillors about the golf fee investigation and “not kept them in the dark’’.

“She should resign as Mayor and LGA president,’’ he said.

Timeline

February 17, 2015 — Chief Executive Officer Performance Management Committee, including Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg, decides to pay the Kooyonga
Golf Club membership, worth $6818.18, of CEO Mark Dowd (left) and keep the payment confidential.

August 6, 2015 — Councillor Martin Bray complains to SA Ombudsman that the payment had not been declared on the public register.

August 12, 2016 — Ombudsman delivers provisional report.

September 23, 2016 — Ombudsman grants Mayor permission to discuss report with councillors.

February 15, 2017 — The Advertiser reveals details of the fee payment and Ombudsman’s final report. Councillors receive first communication about report from the Mayor.