Liverpool Council inquiry: Former CEO John Ajaka gives evidence

The sacked CEO of a southwest Sydney council called its mayor a social media-obsessed bully during his stint at the “toxic” organisation that was plagued with union problems.

John Ajaka was sacked from Liverpool Council last year.

Former Liverpool chief executive John Ajaka has called Mayor Ned Mannoun a social media-obsessed bully who would make derogatory comments during meetings and call staff pathetic.

On Wednesday, Mr Ajaka began giving evidence at the Office of Local Government public inquiry into the council’s dysfunction and maladministration.

He said his relationship with Mr Mannoun started well but began to erode nine months into his job for which the mayor headhunted him.

Mr Ajaka, a former Rockdale councillor and Liberal minister, knew Mr Mannoun from the Liberal Party when he signed a five-year contract with an annual salary of $550,000.

He even called Mr Ajaka and encouraged him to apply for the top job.

He initially declined but Mr Mannon rang a second time and “stressed he wanted me to apply”, adding the council had “huge issues” with staff and the union and Mr Ajaka was the person to fix them.

Liverpool Council former chief executive John Ajaka and Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun started off as friends.

“It was the first time he indicated they were building a new building (the Civic Place) and he was really concerned about that,’’ Mr Ajaka said.

The “godfather” of general managers Stephen Blackadder and Mr Ajaka’s wife convinced him to sign in December 2022.

Mr Mannoun’s wife, Holsworthy state Liberal MP Tina Ayyad, was mentioned in the council inquiry.

“At that time I considered we were friends,’’ Mr Ajaka said.

“I mean I never went to his home, he never came to my home, but I considered we were friends.’’

Shortly after he was tasked with undertaking a restructure and said the mayor was also obsessed with getting the budget in the black.

The frustrations with him refusing to sack staff led to him telling the mayor to f--k off during a meeting with two another councillor and director last April.

“It was clearly out of character for me and it was clearly out of frustration,’’ Mr Ajaka said.

On April 24 last year, the mayor wrote to Mr Ajaka and said he did not feel safe at his workplace after the heated meeting.

“Abusing and bullying behaviour is unacceptable in any workplace – especially Liverpool City Council,’’ he wrote.

A “stunned” Mr Ajaka replied that the mayor had been bullying him for months and compelled him to take actions which he was unable to do or that were inappropriate.

In the letter Mr Ajaka said whenever he indicated to the mayor he wanted to apologise, the mayor said it was only on the condition he either eight week, resign immediately, and agree to sack “two directors, about 10 managers and the in-house legal team”.

Despite the email exchange, he was blindsided when he was stood down with pay shortly after.

A month later, the council voted to sack Mr Ajaka, with Mr Mannoun using his casting vote to terminate his employment.

Mr Ajaka has launched legal action in the NSW Supreme Court against the council, claiming it unlawfully sacked him.

Mr Ajaka earlier told the inquiry the council had dealt with 53 industrial relation matters between the United Services Union and the council when he joined and “it absolutely created a toxic environment”.

He said Mr Mannoun wanted him to be firmer about terminating employees contracts including those involved in a “pork on the fork” incident in which Cr Peter Ristevski was involved.

Mr Ajaka said her would make derogatory comments to councillors. He would “always have a go” at Nathan Hagarty and, after she planned to run for the mayor, Betty Green, who lodged a formal complaint against him.

The former chief executive said the mayor targeted Nathan Hagarty.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Trish McDonald SC asked Mr Ajaka to give examples of derogatory comments.

“They were always very clever comments, very sarcastic comments, like ‘you’ve been a councillor long enough you should know the rules’ … but he would do it in a very screaming (way) at times,’’ he said.

If the councillor spoke back to him during meetings, he would then stand up, which, under meeting protocol, meant the councillor had to sit down.

“He really would bully them in that way,’’ Mr Ajaka said.

Staff would also be offended.

Mr Ajaka said the mayor was obsessed with social media and if he saw uncut lawns “would post about how pathetic staff were”.

“The staff would become incredibly upset by that,’’ he said.

The inquiry also heard how Mr Mannoun vowed the council and the Coalition would fund a $50m swimming pool and sports facility at Hammondville without notifying the council about it discussing or assessing it.

The council learned about it in a March 2023 Sydney Morning Herald report outlining how Mr Mannon was supporting his wife and Holsworthy state Liberal candidate Tina Ayyad’s bid to be an MP – a position she did secure.

Mr Ajaka said the mayor “really became obsessed” with the pool and “if the pool was not built” his wife might lose Holsworthy.

The inquiry also heard how the mayor would instruct the communications team to only take photos of Liberal councillors at events, not Labor and independent representatives.

One media officer went on stress leave.

Mr Ajaka also denied telling corporate services director Farooq Portelli to find $25m in “creative accounting” during a draft budget meeting.

“Absolutely not, it’s not a term I would use,’’ he said.

He did say the council would use “innovative” ways to save money.

Mr Mannoun and Mr Ristevski are yet to give evidence, at the inquiry, which continues

before Commissioner Ross Glover.