Dubbo mayor Ben Shields recovering, council conflict continues
Infighting among Dubbo councillors has continued as mayor Ben Shields recovers in hospital, with new spats over meeting dates and a $50k newspaper.
Dubbo News
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A report summarising all complaints, allegations and suggestions of misconduct which have been sent to Dubbo Regional Council since 2017 was handed to councillors at a meeting on Monday night, however it will be kept secret from concerned community members.
The report was requested by six councillors who called for mayor Ben Shields to resign at an extraordinary meeting held on April 12 and nearly two weeks after he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition because of a medical incident which occurred at his Dubbo home.
Councillor Shields has spent the bulk of the past three weeks in intensive care units and the Dubbo Base and RPA hospitals.
After he developed a lung condition, surgeons in Sydney removed part of his lung. Cr Shields is now back in Dubbo Base Hospital and out of intensive care.
Deputy mayor Stephen Lawrence and Cr John Ryan led called for Cr Shields to resign two days before the medical incident, when they went public with their concerns about his handling of a Bunnings development application announcement and a request to give part of public parkland to a local sporting group.
Cr Shields has denied wrongdoing and in a post to Facebook shortly before the medical incident, he wrote “I have only ever done what is right for Dubbo”.
After the public spat and Cr Shields’s hospitalisation, Dubbo state Nationals MP Dugald Saunders urged the council to appoint an independent investigator to look into council’s operations and “concerns around a lack of due process … several cases of improper conduct, along with a number of serious allegations of bullying and harassment”.
Acting mayor Stephen Lawrence said the report handed to councillors was a first step in setting up the independent investigation process.
“It’s an interim report intended to assist us in moving forward to having an independent investigator and completing the terms of reference for that,” he said.
“I want to assure people that when this process is completed, we will be as transparent as we can lawfully be but it will take time.”
Cr Lawrence said it would not be appropriate to publicly air details of complaints and allegations before any investigation had commenced or while the process was underway.
Council will vote on terms of reference for an independent investigation at a meeting on May 4.
MEETING DATE SPAT
A change to the date of the May meeting was one of many issues which attracted criticism from allies of Cr Shields — Cr’s Dayne Gumley and Greg Mohr — during the meeting on Monday night.
Cr Lawrence said he could not attend the meeting on May 3 when it was originally scheduled to be held and he asked councillors to change the date to May 4.
Cr Gumley said meeting date changes, which have come as a result of the council infighting and leadership turmoil, were problematic for people who had day jobs and could not easily change their rosters.
Cr Mohr asked why someone else could not chair the meeting in Cr Lawrence’s absence.
“The acting mayor can’t fulfil his commitment to attend the meeting on May 3,” Cr Mohr told The Dubbo News.
“If the mayor and deputy mayor aren’t available there can be a vote off the floor for someone to run the meeting.”
Cr Mohr and Cr Gumley both voted against changing the date however all other councillors supported the move.
NEWSPAPER BACKFLIP
A backflip on a plan to send ratepayers a tabloid style newspaper trumping council’s successes — four months before a local government election — was the only agenda item councillors could agree on at Monday night’s meeting.
In March all councillors agreed to spend up to $50,000 on the newspaper, however they said given the cost and leadership issues, it would be best to spend the money on other priorities.
Cr Dayne Gumley spoke in support of a rescission motion which enabled the backflip.
“It would be farcical to spend this money,” he said.
“Clearly this is not a council that’s cohesive … there’s no point trying to spend that sort of money on trying to convince the community of something that isn’t true.”
Cr John Ryan hit back and said it would be cheaper to put the newspaper out in an online form.
“I disagree with Cr Gumley’s assertion,” he said.
“This has been, up until a few week’s ago, a cohesive council.
“When I see something that needs reporting I will report it.”
Minister CRITICISED
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock’s intervention into the Dubbo council dramas were criticised by Cr Lawrence, who used Monday’s meeting to place on the public record a letter of complaint he sent NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
In the letter, which councillors voted to note, Cr Lawrence takes aim at comments Ms Hancock made in an interview with ABC Western Plains on April 13.
“Shelley Hancock knew that complaints had been made, including police referrals, and the Minister came out and did a media conference, where she accused the councillors that had called upon the mayor to resign, of bullying,” Cr Lawrence told The Dubbo News.
“She, in my opinion, prejudged the questions that could go to any use of her statutory powers against Dubbo Regional Council.
“She threatened us essentially, with suspension and putting us into administration. I thought it was appropriate on behalf of council, not to take those threats lightly, and to immediately write to the Premier and explain to the Premier why I thought that was inappropriate.”
Cr Lawrence claimed Ms Hancock had “made it pretty clear that she’s a friend of the mayor’s” and he accused her of “coming at this from a pretty personal perspective”.
“This is about the operation of local government in the Dubbo region, it’s not about how particular people feel, and the idea that statutory powers would be used against us at the moment I think is a really unfortunately and incorrect suggestion.
“This is a functional council, we’re providing services to the community, we’ve demonstrated tonight that we can meet as a group and make decisions and have debate. We really need to separate these issues from the very unfortunate medical situation of the mayor.”
Ms Hancock’s office was sent a copy of Cr Lawrence’s comments and asked to provide a response.
No response has been provided.
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