Logan mayor denies crisis and blames ‘campaign of hatred’

LOGAN Mayor Luke Smith denies the council is in a state of meltdown, saying it is business as usual despite the vote to oust CEO Sharon Kelsey this week.

CEO Sharon Kelsey’s empty car space at the Mayor’s Christmas party in December. Ms Kelsey was not at the event, held days before council offices were raided by the CCC.

• I always speak out: CEO
• Closed-door dumping

LOGAN Mayor Luke Smith said council was not in a state of meltdown and it was business as usual despite the departure of CEO Sharon Kelsey on Wednesday.

Cr Smith, speaking to The Albert & Logan News on Logan morning radio, said Ms Kelsey was not sacked, rather councillors voted not to extend her probationary contract to a full-time position.

Mayor Luke Smith, was speaking on Logan Radio FM 101.1 this morning about Wednesday’s decision not to extend the contract for CEO Sharon Kelsey.

“She was on probation and this is how things are when people don’t follow through,” he said told Logan’s FM101.1 on Friday morning.

He went on to say that the CEO was on about $500,000.

Logan mayor Luke Smith with ousted CEO Sharon Kelsey when she was appointed in June.

He said Ms Kelsey’s probationary contract was extended twice “for legal reasons” and to give council time to call a special meeting to discuss her contract after the Christmas break.

However, he did not say when ratepayers would get the reason behind her departure.

“This decision about the CEO is up to the councillors and seven voted not to extend her contract.”

The mayor also said there had was not a revolving door of staff at the council and any unrest stemmed from a campaign of hatred from dissenting councillors, led by Cr Darren Power.

However, he was unable to refute claims there had been a swift exodus of five CEOs since the last local government election in March 2016.

He said the reason he did not turn up for Wednesday’s special meeting to decide the fate of his CEO was because “I’ve got ongoing legal matters that are still outstanding so I decided to remove myself from the decisions,” he said.

“There is also an ongoing CCC investigation.”

Logan Ratepayers Association president Rod Shaw said the mayor did not need to attend the meeting as he already knew he had the numbers to vote out the CEO.

Cr Smith also denied any correlation between Ms Kelsey’s demise at council and protocol set by the Local Government Association of Queensland about hiring staff and contracts.

“The city council is going very well,” he told Albert & Logan News on Logan radio this morning.