Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne praises under-fire council CEO Michael Deegan after misconduct finding

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne says his CEO is doing an ‘excellent job’ as councillors say they have been left ‘in the dark’.

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Inner West mayor Darcy Bryne has refused to condemn the council’s chief executive after he was found to have committed “misconduct in public administration” and spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish meals and alcohol in a previous role.

Mr Byrne told The Daily Telegraph the council’s CEO Michael Deegan was “doing an excellent job in the inner west” just hours after the South Australian ombudsman found he committed misconduct by declining a Freedom of Information request into his own expenses when he was head of Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.

Inner West councillors said they were “completely in the dark” about the investigation into Mr Deegan’s expenses during his time in South Australia when they appointed him to the Sydney role in February this year.

Michael Deegan said he categorically refuted the ombudsman’s report.

Councillor Julie Passas said she was on the panel tasked with selecting a chief executive and said she had “no idea” about the ombudsman’s report until it was published on Thursday.

“I am quite concerned and I am waiting to see what the council is going to do,” she said.

But Mr Byrne said he had been “appropriately informed of the situation” and declined to comment further about Mr Deegan’s future.

In addition to the misconduct finding, SA Ombudsman Wayne Lines criticised Mr Deegan’s lavish spending of taxpayer dollars, including a $1,190.50 meal at Press* Food & Wine, of which an “astonishing” $664 was for alcohol.

“Save for in exceptional circumstances, I do not consider that it is appropriate for a public officer to consume alcohol in the performance of official functions,” Mr Lines said.

Mr Deegan said he “acted ethically and transparently” within department guidelines during his role in SA and noted the ombudsman had said his actions were “consistent” with ordinary department practice.

“I categorically refute the rest of the Ombudsman’s report,” he said.

A long-time public servant, Mr Deegan was made chief executive of Infrastructure in 2008 by current Labor leader Anthony Albanese.

He also lead the Howard government’s National Transport Commission in 2006 and had previously worked for state governments.