Greg Chemello appointed as Moreton Bay Regional Council’s new CEO

The man who cleaned up the mess at Ipswich City Council is the right man to take the helm as CEO of Moreton Bay Regional Council, says mayor

Greg Chemello has been appointed as the new CEO at Moreton Bay Regional Council.

THE man who helped clean up the stain of corruption at Ipswich City Council has been appointed to lead another Queensland council mired in controversy.

Greg Chemello has just been announced as Moreton Bay Regional Council’s new CEO, taking over from Darryl Hitzman who quit suddenly on September 10.

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Mr Chemello will have his hands full once he begins in the role on January 13, with major reforms going on within the council itself, and a local government election just months away.

It is also understood the council is being investigated by the Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland over a contract with tourism company Moreton Bay Regional Industry & Tourism, while mayor Allan Sutherland is being investigated over land he owns at Burpengary.

Greg Chemello speaks to the community at Booval in his former role as interim administrator of Ipswich City Council. Photo: Cordell Richardson

Mr Chemello will also be appointed as the first director on the corporate style board overseeing development at the Petrie mill precinct.

Some residents also expressed concern that councillors should delay the hiring of a new CEO until the new council is elected next March.

Mr Chemello was appointed interim administrator of Ipswich City Council on August 23, 2018 by the state government, after it sacked the mayor and 10 councillors.

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He was responsible for restoring appropriate governance, policy and procedural reforms to enable public confidence in the council to be regained.

“Greg is without question one of the most competent and forward-thinking people in local government, with an unrivalled attention to detail,” mayor Allan Sutherland said.

“In less than 18 months he has managed to transform Ipswich from a council mired by controversy and corruption into a respected operation where people look forward to going to work, with a focus on improving services for the people of Ipswich.

“He’s exactly the person we need to not only deliver the changes recommended to us in Grassroots Connections Australia’s very blunt assessment of our operational culture, but also articulate how we evolve beyond that.

“Greg’s 35 years’ experience in planning and development, project delivery and government sectors are useful but most invaluable to MBRC is the fact that he’s spent the past 20 years honing his leadership focus on organisations experiencing substantial transformation.

“He told us that his motivation for wanting to work at MBRC was the opportunity to craft a new and refocused vision for our organisation, that empowers our team to successfully adapt to delivering on the modern expectations of our community.”

Acting CEO Graeme Kanofski will continue in his role until Mr Chemello starts on January 13, 2020.