Cr Light: do you have a conflict of interest Mr Mayor?

DIVISION 5 councillor Rolf Light has questioned whether the Mayor should vote on Fraser Coast Opportunities matters given he is the entity’s chairman.

THE Fraser Coast's Division 5 councillor Rolf Light has questioned whether the Mayor should vote on Fraser Coast Opportunities matters, given he is the entity's chairman.

The issue arose last Wednesday in the Fraser Coast Regional Council's ordinary meeting in Maryborough when the council was asked to endorse FCO's strategic plan and adopt a memorandum of understanding between the council and FCO.

The practice, when councillors believe they may have a perceived conflict of interest in a particular matter before the council, is to declare their conflict and remove themselves from the chamber so as not to unfairly influence the process.

Cr Light told the Chronicle that had he been in a similar position to Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O'Connell, he would have declared a perceived conflict and removed himself from the chamber.

However, he said he was comfortable that when he posed the question to the mayor and Cr O'Connell announced that he believed his role as FCO chairman did not place him in that position and voted, the Mayor had acted honestly.

"It's on public record that I asked the Mayor because he's the chairman of FCO if he felt that he didn't have any perceived conflict of interest," Cr Light said.

"It's on public record that he didn't feel he did, and I left it at that, I did not make any further comment."

Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O'Connell said his role on the board was as a representative of the council and nothing further.

"As Mayor, I'm the council delegate... there's always in terms of (it's stated in) the constitution that I will have a role with council and then also (in) FCO," Cr O'Connell said.

"Each of the council also are members of FCO, so the 11 councillors in their individual capacity are the only members or stakeholders of FCO incorporated ... I'm the shareholder's delegate, myself and the CEO (Lisa Desmond) via the constitution (are) on the board of FCO."

Cr Light acknowledged that while the councillors were members they were not involved to the same extent as the Mayor.

He used the example of people being members of sporting clubs and their role in comparison to that club's chairperson as being much different.

Fraser Coast Opportunities was set up to be the Fraser Coast's peak body for regional marketing, investment attraction, event and tourism development in 2013, and costs the council more than $40,000 each week to operate.