Wingecarribee Shire Council: Locals fight for general manager hiring deferral at rally

Southern Highlands residents flocked to Moss Vale on Saturday to rally against the appointment of a new council general manager.

Over one hundred Southern Highlands locals showed up to rally against the appointment of a Wingecarribee Council General Manager this weekend.

Despite the cold, the large crowd gathered in Leighton Gardens in Moss Vale to listen to impassioned speakers talk about the need to defer the appointment of a new general manager until after the local elections in September.

Rally organiser and council hopeful Rachel Russell claimed the $350,000 per year role should not be filled by a council that doesn’t have the faith of the community.

“It really is the most powerful position in the Shire,” she said.

Residents of the Southern Highlands met in Leighton Gardens to rally against the appointment of a council general manager.

Last week, Friends of Wingecarribee president Adam Jacobson started a petition calling on parliament to defer filling role until after ratepayers go to the polls in September.

The council has been without a top manager since July last year, when Ann Prendergast left the job amid allegations of workplace bullying.

“The petition is about giving our council the opportunity to do the right thing,” Mr Jacobsen said at the rally.

“The current councillors should see the wave of change coming at them and they should be moving with it, not against it.”

Future council candidate Colin Maslen said there were many issues that need to be addressed before the general manager is appointed, and demanded an open and transparent process from council.

Despite community concern, council says it’s hands are tied. An email to councillors on January 29 stated the council was unable to stop the appointment process now that it’s underway.

“Council cannot consider any action to defer the recruitment process nor rescind the resolution,” it said.

Protesters gathered outside the Wingecarribee Council building to chant “hear our voices”.

The applications for the general manager position close on February 15, with the first interviews for short-listed candidates on February 24. The final round of interviews is scheduled for March 24 with the whole council.

Section 351 of the Local Government Act 1993 states that a temporary appointment can’t last more than a year. Acting General Manager Barry Paull took over the position in July but Former General Manager Ann Prendergast took leave until October.

At the rally, protesters said they were concerned with the “rush” to select a candidate.

Organiser Rachel Russell holding a sign that says “Fossil free council”.

Ms Russell said the current council isn’t democratically elected and is still in power “only by the grace of COVID”, and argued the decision shouldn’t be theirs.

She said that the council’s decision to go ahead with the appointment would break two of the oaths of office; to represent the community and to act in the interest of the community.

“We’ve got to give our community hope, and that’s only going to happen if people know that their vote will have meaning and power at the election,” she said.

The Southern Highlands Chamber of Commerce sent a letter on Saturday to the council formally requesting the deferral of the appointment of the general manager. The letter will support the petition with 500 signatures, which will require a response from the state government.