Parramatta CEO Mark Stapleton denies lying but faces suspension for holes in CV
A MEETING has been called and councillors will decide the fate of Parramatta Council chief executive Mark Stapleton’s $500,000 a year job.
Parramatta
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PARRAMATTA Council will consider suspending chief executive Mark Stapleton from his $500,000 a year job in the next fortnight.
A meeting has been requested with the councillors, which may ask them to vote on the future of Mr Stapleton following allegations he overstated his experience on his resume to get the top job.
Mr Stapleton was appointed to the role in July, after an 8-7 vote in the council chamber.
Some councillors were fighting to reverse that decision, signing motions to undo the vote, including independents Lorraine Wearne, Michelle Garrard and Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson.
Cr Wilson confirmed a meeting would take place in the coming days.
“There has been a request for a meeting — the date for which is yet to be set,” Cr Wilson said.
The meeting will have to be held within 14 days of receiving the request, which was made by councillor Pierre Esber on Thursday, August 30.
Cr Wilson and Mr Stapleton were at loggerheads on Friday when the pair met to discuss the situation, which allegedly turned “ugly”.
The spiteful discussion was over claims that Mr Stapleton had falsified parts of his resume before being chosen for the role.
Mr Stapleton has denied falsifying his CV and vowed to “report for work”.
Cr Esber requested the meeting on Thursday after reports of holes in the resume of Mr Stapleton were leaked.
“I have put in a request for an extraordinary council meeting,” Cr Esber said.
“I’m concerned by what’s going on in the city, we need stability, we’ve got to be smart, sit down and thresh out the issues.”
Cr Esber stands by his support of Mr Stapleton.
“We have a responsibility and a duty to make Parramatta safe for all staff and I’m looking for a report about this issue.”
In 2017, Mr Stapleton was suspended from his council role as director of property and significant assets for eight weeks.
IN OTHER NEWS
The reasons for his suspension were not disclosed and he was reluctant to say why he was suspended other than “contractual issues” regarding the Parramatta Square development.
“There was a lot of confusion at that time,” he told the Parramatta Advertiser in July.
“It is a $3 billion project, so there were always going to be uncomfortable moments, I just happened to be the uncomfortable one at that time. But I’ve never left anything mid-flight, so I wanted to come back in.
“When I was cleared I was ready to get back to it, although I did do a lot of stand-up paddle boarding during that time off.”
Sue Weatherly also recently resigned from her role as director of significant assets.
Mr Stapleton claimed he worked in Perth with Leighton Holdings and in Sydney for construction company John Holland.
Despite the request for an extraordinary meeting, Cr Wilson has yet to call a date. Mr Stapleton has now asked councillors to convene at 6pm tonight to address “current issues”.
“Whilst I do not have authority to convene a meeting of the chamber, I don’t believe it is in the interest of the City for us to sit idle,” Mr Stapleton said in an email to councillors.
“I stress this is not a meeting of the chamber but is an informal meeting to address current issues.”
FOR
Labor’s Paul Han, Sameer Pandey, Pierre Esber, and Liberal’s Andrew Jefferies, Benjamin Barrak, Martin Zaiter, Steven Issa, and Bill Tyrrell all voted in favour of Mr Stapleton at the July meeting.
AGAINST
Independent councillors Lorraine Wearne and Michelle Garrard have been vocal in their opposition to Mr Stapleton’s appointment. Other less vocal opponents include Liberal’s Bob Dwyer, Labor’s Patricia Prociv, Donna Davis and Green’s Phil Bradley.
