Port Macquarie Hastings Council Mayor Peta Pinson uses casting votes to change meeting date, abolish deputy role

After using her casting vote to abolish the deputy role, the mayor of a Mid-North Coast council has now followed up with a change some councillors say is unprecedented. Here’s what happened.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. Picture: Gemma Ferguson

A Mid-North Coast mayor who used her casting vote to abolish the role of deputy last month has followed up by changing the date of the regular monthly council meeting.

One Port Macquarie-Hastings councillor said it was the first time that has occurred in her 20 years in local government.

Before debate even got underway at the council’s meeting on Thursday, Mayor Peta Pinson made it clear she would be using her casting vote to ensure her motion would be successful.

Ms Pinson holds the balance of power following the resignation of Councillor Sharon Griffiths in July.

Her casting vote has come into play during a number of important decisions in recent times.

Votes have often been locked four/four, with the same councillors on either side of the debate.

Cr Griffiths was re-elected in 2021 as part of “Team Pinson”, a term still referred to in chambers which has angered some, including councillor Lisa Intemann.

“Team Pinson” in 2021: Adam Roberts, Josh Slade, Mayor Peta Pinson, Sharon Griffiths (who has now retired) and Danielle Maltman.

At this week’s meeting, Cr Intemann said the motion before them from the mayor to move the October council meeting date forward to October 12 not only inconvenienced several councillors, but tens of staff involved.

Meetings are usually held at 3m on the third Thursday of every month.

“It seemed to me like an ultimatum,” Ms Intemann said.

“In my 20 years of experience we have never done anything like this.”

Port Macquarie mayor Peta Pinson was elected as an independent, but in the lead up to the state government elections announced she had joined the Nationals and would be running against sitting member and ex-Nationals Leslie Williams. Ms Williams retained the seat at the election.

Ms Intemann said “much to her disgust” she would try to change her plans and attend on the new date, but councillors Nik Lipovac, Rachel Sheppard and Lauren Edwards said they would find it very difficult to make it.

Cr Lipovac also said it was unprecedented to change meeting dates set by resolution at the November 2022 ordinary council meeting, and there were several alternatives to changing dates – a councillor can attend online or another councillor can be appointed to chair meetings.

“In April we had a meeting without the mayor and it went smoothly. In the last six years no meeting dates have been changed,” Mr Lipovac said.

Councillor Rachel Sheppard was stripped of the deputy mayor role.

Cr Sheppard was deputy before being stripped of the role at the August meeting.

One of the reasons given for suspending the role was to allow a variety of councillors to chair meetings in the mayor’s absence.

Cr Pinson did not publicly give a reason at this week’s meeting why she needed to change the date but Cr Sheppard said she understood it was due to competing business commitments.

Cr Sheppard also opposed the change of date and questioned what the mayor believed the public would think of “prioritising the presence of one elected official over multiple others”.

However, Cr Pinson said the community “just wanted us to get on with it.”

She has been contacted for further comment.

The date debate ran for almost an hour, with Cr Sheppard attempting to move an alternative motion. But on each occasion the vote was four/four, with the mayor using her casting vote to break the split.

When put to vote, the mayor’s original motion was supported by “team Pinson” – councillors Josh Slade, Adam Roberts and Danielle Maltman. It was rejected by councillors Edwards, Intemann, Sheppard and Lipovac.

Again, the mayor used her casting vote, locking in the date change.