Mayor Troy Thompson suspended: Townsville councillor Ann-Maree Greaney speaks on efforts to move on from reputation

A Townsville councillor says she hopes for a quick conclusion to investigations against suspended mayor Troy Thompson so the city can “move on” — reflecting on his poor leadership style.

• Thompson ‘disappointed’ in marching orders
• Ousted mayor could get second job

Townsville Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney believes “natural justice will take its course” and hopes for a quick conclusion to investigations against suspended mayor Troy Thompson so the city can move on.

Townsville City Council is now under the leadership of acting mayor Paul Jacob, but Ms Greaney is understood to informally be his acting deputy after a council decision made earlier this year when Mr Thompson took sick leave.

She told this masthead the council urgently needs to look beyond its own walls in Walker St and the politics of the chamber’s boardroom, and consider the morale of the council’s staff and the city’s reputation, which has taken a dive nationally since the local government elections in March.

Newly appointed Local Government Minister Ann Leahy met with the council last Friday, shortly after suspending Mr Thompson on 12 months paid leave with a salary of about $250,000, a decision which has angered and confused the community.

Ms Greaney as well as Councillor Andrew Robinson were unwillingly to criticise the minister’s decision, as a Crime and Corruption investigation against Mr Thompson needed to be conducted fairly.

Suspended Mayor Troy Thompson. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“It is a decision of the state government, and I can’t speculate on the terms of the contract, the optics aren’t good, but that’s a matter between the mayor and State Government, and the Minister for Local Government,” Ms Greaney said.

Ms Greaney worked under three previous mayors; Tony Mooney, Les Tyrell and Jenny Hill, but she said the city’s local government politics had not been so divisive as they had this year.

“All vastly different, and they brought some great things to the table, and some not so great things, but they had their heart in it for the right reasons, and I think that’s a major difference,” Ms Greaney said.

When asked if Mr Thompson had the city’s best interests at heart, Ms Greaney said “in my opinion he didn’t”.

Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“I think a good leader takes people on the journey … and it is cultivating that sense of developing new leaders going forward, taking them on that journey, and that hasn’t happened since the new council has been formed, which is very disappointing,” she said.

“And whether you agree or don’t agree, it is a democracy, and we need to have a person that can guide and lead us for the term of council.

“And you need that ability to be able to go and speak to the mayor and say ‘I don’t agree with this and I don’t agree with that’ and work all those issues out and see the bigger picture for the city, and that certainly didn’t happen.”

Cartoonist Harry Bruce’s take on Troy Thompson’s 12 month suspension.

Ms Greaney conceded there could have been opportunity to speak with the mayor on issues in his office, but that she was concerned with integrity and election claims that were soon broken.

“And people have memories, and they don’t forget what you said about them and how it made you feel.

“And I don’t think Mr Thompson thought about some of his actions and his consequences during that time.”

‘Ratepayers shouldn’t suffer’

Acting Mayor Paul Jacob, who has contracted Covid after a trip away to Canberra and Mackay last week, said he did not believe the ratepayer should be funding Mr Thompson’s salary while he was suspended.

Mr Jacob said the community was strongly opposed to Mr Thompson being able to sit at home on an annual salary of $250,000.

“It’s very loud out there, the community didn’t like that at all,” Mr Jacob said.

“And I even asked the Minister on Friday when I was in a Teams meeting with her while I was in Mackay … and I said ‘look, if that’s the case if you’ve suspended him, it’s up to the government to pay him’.

“I don’t want any of that money coming from the ratepayers, and that’s what I said to her, and she was a bit wishy-washy.

“But look, the community don’t want it … and I represent the community.”

Local Government Minister Ann Leahy at Townsville City Council. Picture: Evan Morgan

Last Friday Ms Leahy told the media the government was limited in what it could do with Mr Thompson given the previous government issued a show-cause notice in the weeks before the election.

“This is something that the mayor wrote to me and requested,” Ms Leahy said.

“So there probably aren’t a lot of precedents for this.

“There was a situation at the Gold Coast, you may recall, where a councillor was charged and was suspended until the local government elections.

“I’m not going to pre-empt the CCC’s investigation, that’s probably a question that’s best asked to the CCC.”

The CCC was asked if the investigation was likely to take a further 12 months, the length of time that Mr Thompson was suspended.

A CCC spokeswoman said it would not comment on any investigation or complaint even though it recognised the media’s role to hold governments and institutions to account.

Mayor Troy Thompson at the Townsville City Council general meeting. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Division 8 councillor Andrew Robinson said the suspended mayor had not been found guilty of anything and that an investigation was continuing, which was why Mr Thompson should be entitled to his pay.

“And in Australia we obviously work to presumption of innocent until proven guilty,” Mr Robinson said.

Friday was the first time a state government minister had spoken in person with the council about complaints involving Mr Thompson, and Mr Robinson said councillors were appreciative of Ms Leahy’s efforts.

The decision gave a sense of certainty,” he said.

“As the Minister herself said, this is a circuit breaker, this you know, will allow Townsville to move forward.”

Division 5 Councillor Vera Dirou said she was “hopeful” the mayor’s paid suspension could give the council the chance to restore its trust and confidence.

“I can understand if the community’s unhappy with that aspect (of being on full pay),” Ms Dirou said.

“That obviously has nothing to do with council, that’s state government so we have no say over that.

“This is the state government’s decision to suspend him with pay and we have no control over that side of things, so that would be a discussion with state.

“All I’m interested in at the end of the day, as I keep on saying repeatedly is just trying to do my job, trying to look after my community.”

Originally published as Mayor Troy Thompson suspended: Townsville councillor Ann-Maree Greaney speaks on efforts to move on from reputation