Former Manly general manager Henry Wong resigns from Northern Beaches Council role

FORMER  Manly Council general manager Henry Wong has resigned from his position in the Northern Beaches Council, making him the fourth senior staffer to leave since May.

Henry Wong and Ben Taylor.

FORMER  Manly Council general manager Henry Wong has resigned from his position in the Northern Beaches Council, making him the fourth senior staffer to leave since May.

Mr Wong’s departure follows the resignation of former Warringah general manager Rik Hart, and former deputies Stephen Clements and Malcolm Ryan.

But he did not want to comment on the performance of the new Northern Beaches Council under administrator Dick Persson and general manager Mark Ferguson.

“I don’t think people in my position should provide running commentary on the new council that is coming together very, very well. It has been a privilege to work for Mark and the new council,” he said, declining to comment further.

Mr Wong finished on Friday, marking almost 14 years of public service in Manly.

Northern Beaches Council general manager Mark Ferguson said Mr Wong had “a long and outstanding career in local government”.

He indicated Mr Wong had “taken the opportunity to spend more time with his family and loved ones”.

His resignation follows a review into the Manly Oval carpark plans.

Henry Wong in front of The New Brighton Hotel. Picture: Virginia Young.

In July, letters between Mr Wong and the Office of Local Government were released by general manager Mark Ferguson.

The documents were published as part of the review.

The letters revealed that decisions made in the contentious closed-door meeting approving the Manly Oval carpark could be put in jeopardy, with the state expressing concerns about the process taken.

Also presented was a letter from the department’s acting chief executive, Tim Hurst.

He wrote to Northern Beaches Council general manager, Mr Ferguson, in June, alleging the former council committed at least four breaches of the Local Government Act that night and suggested he get legal advice to see if these alleged breaches invalidated the decision to go ahead with the carpark.

Mr Wong was on leave when the letters were made public.

Former Manly mayor Jean Hay praised Mr Wong’s “can do” attitude.

“He probably did more upgrading of the infrastructure in the area than any other general manager I can really recall.” she said.

Northern Beaches Police commander Superintendent Dave Darcy praised Mr Wong’s “innovation”.

“Henry has been an outstanding public servant, I have held him in the highest regard. He is so passionate about this community and he has been a true visionary,” he said. “ I am not sure many people understand the amount of things he has done for the Manly community.”