Road safety advocate slams mayor’s ‘hypocrisy’ after zoom meeting
Redlands Mayor Karen Williams held a zoom meeting with three families who have lost children to drink drivers just minutes before she crashed her car after drinking alcohol, it can be revealed.
Redlands Coast
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Drink driving mayor Karen Williams held a Zoom meeting with families who lost loved ones to drunk drivers before getting behind the wheel, losing control of her vehicle and crashing into a tree.
The Redland City mayor has admitted to driving after downing “several glasses of wine” but has resisted calls for her resignation – instead vowing to continue making her community a “safer place”.
Ms Williams held the Zoom meeting on Thursday night with the family of Matty Field, who died along with his pregnant partner Kate Leadbetter, after they were hit by a stolen car driven by a drunk and high teen in Alexandra Hills a year ago.
She also stood alongside Matty Field’s parents Ann and Russell two weeks ago to launch a petition calling for the youth to receive a harsher jail term.
Also at the Zoom meeting was road safety advocate Judy Lindsay, whose daughter Hayley Russell, 20, lost her life to a drunk driver in 2009.
It’s understood another family was also represented.
Ms Lindsay told the Sunday Mail that Ms Williams’ camera had turned off for periods of time during the online meeting, which ran from about 6pm to 7pm following the delivery of the Redland City Council budget that afternoon.
Ms Lindsay said she was astounded and enraged that the mayor had now admitted drink driving straight after their meeting.
“She rang me on Friday night, a day after the crash, crying and saying she was so sorry for what she had done but I told her there was no excuse for her actions,” Ms Lindsay said.
“I was so disgusted, I told her I could not ever be connected with her again and called for her to resign as mayor.
“I told her she had kicked us all in the guts and she had unravelled all our hard work and I could not be connected to her.
“She said to me during the Zoom meeting she was so sorry about my daughter’s death and then within an hour she had crashed her car and admitted drinking.
“I also told her she had to resign as she was not suitable to lead our community.”
The Sunday Mail has been told some councillors had attended a budget “after-party” prior to Ms Williams logging onto the Zoom meeting.
Redland Cr Lance Hewlett said he had a glass of wine and spoke to the mayor to congratulate her on the budget before leaving at about 4.30pm.
He said the mayor had had some wine and staff were celebrating with wine and soft drinks in the councillor lounge.
“She was celebrating and had had some wine,” he said.
The Zoom meeting concluded about 7pm, with Queensland Ambulance Service called to the crash scene at the intersection of Wellington and Queen streets at 8pm.
Ms Williams was taken to Redland Hospital after her car mounted the footpath, crashed through a fence and struck a tree.
Addressing the incident publicly on Saturday, Ms Williams said she “made a mistake” and was grateful no one was hurt or injured in the crash.
“I understand that circumstances could have been very different,” she said.
Ms Williams on Friday stated she had consumed “several glasses of wine” and yesterday could still not recall exactly how many.
“I don’t actually know how many drinks I had. I had several drinks over a number of hours and I worked late into the night,” she said.
She also said she did not know how far over the blood alcohol limit she was when breath tested by police at the crash scene.
“I haven’t been given the final figure,” she said.
“I have not been charged and I have not been given that information.”
Ms Williams was asked whether the Zoom meeting with the families had “meant nothing”, to which she replied: “I am absolutely committed to making our community safer”.
She said she would not quit.
“One rash decision shouldn’t follow another. I will continue to serve my community in the way that I have for the last 18 years to make this a better place,” she said.
“There are no excuses for my actions. I am deeply sorry and I will deal with the consequences of that as I move forward and I will continue to assist the police with their inquiries.”
Asked if she regretted “looking those families in the eye” and promising to make the roads safer, Ms Williams said again that she was “deeply sorry” for her actions.
“I appreciate that those people have gone through difficult times,” she said. “And I remain committed to working with anyone that wants to make this community safer.”
Police are awaiting the outcome of a blood analysis before finalising the investigation.
Ms Williams has not been charged.
“Police are investigating a single vehicle traffic crash in the Redlands – that vehicle hit a tree,” Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus said.
“We have one person with minor injuries who is assisting and co-operating fully with police.”
Capalaba Labor MP Don Brown said Ms Williams “must resign today”.
“You can’t be hard on youth drunk drivers and then be soft on yourself,” he said.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said there should be consequences for someone who breaks the law and that: “you got to walk the walk and talk the talk.”
Asked whether Ms Williams should stand down, Mr Ryan said “speaking generally, if someone makes a bad choice, if someone breaks the law there should be consequences”.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said drink driving “isn’t on”.
“Doesn’t matter who you are or what your circumstances are, you should never get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking,” he said.
“Full stop, end of story.
“There aren’t excuses for doing it and I think it’s important that we get that message out because it’ll ensure that Queenslanders’ lives are protected.
“It is a really, really important message to get across.”
Ms Williams has held the position of the Redland City mayor since 2012 and has been an elected member since 2004.
If Ms Williams resigns from council and there is more than a year to go before the next local government election, a by-election will have to be called.
However, if she resigned with less than a year to go before an election, a replacement mayor will be appointed.
Only integrity offences trigger the Local Government Act to force councillors to stand down.
Ms Williams was appointed as a director to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee late last year.
Under the event’s legislation, directors can be disqualified from their positions if convicted of an offence.
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