Lismore City Council general manager Michael Donnelly keeps job

Michael Donnelly’s time at the helm of Lismore City Council looked all but finished until three councillors took action in a late-night scramble to prevent his sacking.

Councillor Vanessa Ekins was part of a trio who have temporarily blocked moves to sack Lismore City Council general manager Michael Donnelly.

Lismore city council general manager Michael Donnelly has been given a stay of execution after a motion to terminate his employment was blocked by three councillors.

Vanessa Ekins, Adam Guise and Elly Bird lodged a rescission motion at the end of an extraordinary council meeting on Monday night to temporarily stop the council from sacking Mr Donnelly.

Lismore City Council general manager Michael Donnelly.

Mr Donnelly’s fate looked all but sealed earlier in the evening when a vote to remove him passed six votes to four with Mayor Steve Krieg and councillors Andrew Gordon, Andrew Bing, Jeri Hall, Electra Jensen and Deputy Mayor Peter Colby voting in favour of terminating his employment.

Discussion of the motion was held in confidential session.

Councillor Big Rob was absent from the meeting.

Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg announces general manager Michael Donnelly’s sacking on Monday night. The decision was put on hold just an hour later.

However, just over an hour after the meeting concluded the three councillors lodged a successful rescission motion, which meant the council could not act on the motion to remove Mr Donnelly until it was brought to another meeting.

Former Richmond Valley and Kalgoorlie/Boulder CEO John Walker was to be confirmed as the new interim general manager until the rescission motion put that on hold.

Residents, councillors slam secrecy

Lismore residents were angered by their council’s decision to have a secret meeting about the future of the general manager as they gathered at the chambers on Monday night.

Resident Janine Wilson said the council did not give the public enough time to be informed and seek to make representations to council.

She said their decision to hold the meeting behind closed doors was “destroying faith in council processes”.

“On the surface it seems as if there has been a deliberate process so there is no opportunity to add a community voice,” she said.

Janine Wilson spoke against Lismore City Council holding their extraordinary meeting in confidential session.

Councillors Adam Guise, Vanessa Ekins, Darlene Cook and Elly Bird also spoke against having the meeting in confidential session.

Councillors were notified of the meeting on Friday but notice of the meeting was not posted on the council website until Monday.

They said there was not sufficient time for the public to be notified of the meeting and given the opportunity to participate, undermining trust in local government.

Notice was given on the Lismore City Council website on Monday morning and a Facebook post was published at 10am.

Lismore City Council code of meeting practice says notice of a meeting must be published on the “council’s website, and in such other manner that the council is satisfied is likely to bring notice of the meeting to the attention of as many people as possible”.

Residents and councillors argued they were encouraging secrecy.

“Sufficient public notice has not been given,” Mr Guise said.

“This meeting has been called to ambush the public and ambush councillors.”

Councillors are next due to meet on Tuesday, where agenda items are set to include a motion that could block moves to hand back a section of culturally significant land to the Indigenous community.