Salim Mehajer should be the only Auburn councillor dismissed, argues suspended Mayor Le Lam

SUSPENDED Auburn Mayor Le Lam said dumped deputy Salim Mehajer should have been the only councillor to be shown the door, claiming she had done nothing wrong.

• COUNCIL SACKED OVER MISCONDUCT CLAIMS
• SALIM MEHAJER BANNED FOR FOUR MONTHS
• AUBURN AND NORTH SYDNEY COUNCIL FACE INQUIRY

SUSPENDED Auburn Mayor Le Lam said dumped deputy Salim Mehajer should have been the only councillor to be shown the door, claiming she had done nothing wrong.

Ms Lam slammed Local Government Minister Paul Toole’s decision to sack the council, saying the councillors should be allowed to stay on in their roles until proven guilty of misconduct.

On Wednesday the government suspended the dysfunctional local authority ahead of a public inquiry — expected to last most of this year — probing planning decisions over at least the past four years.

Mr Mehajer recently received a four-month suspension imposed on him by the NSW Civic and Administrative Tribunal after being found guilty of failing to declare a pecuniary interest.

Ms Lam, who found out about the decision via the media, was yesterday forced to hand back her ratepayer-funded Lexus RX 450h — priced at $110,000 on Lexus’ website.

The 10 suspended councillors had to return smart phones, tablets, laptops and printers to the council following the State Government’s decision and were locked out of office space.

Salim Mehajer leaving his Lidcombe home on the day Auburn Council was suspended. Picture: Stephen Cooper

Annual fees of almost $200,000 a year were axed and all councillors’ names and ­contact details were scrubbed from the authority’s website.

“I’m very disappointed with the decision the Minister made,” she told the Parramatta Advertiser.

“When we received the letter, we did write a letter back asking the Minister to clearly identify what is the issue for the suspension.

“When you’re guilty, a decision is made according to the verdict, but without proof, we aren’t guilty of doing something wrong. They have made the decision based on presumptions.

“At the moment we’ve been shut-out without solid reasons.”

When asked if all councillors except Mr Mehajer should remain on Auburn Council, she said “yes”.

In a report presented to Auburn councillors at an emergency meeting in January, it revealed the Minister was worried that allowing the councillors to stay in office could “frustrate” the public inquiry.

Suspended Auburn councillor George Campbell said the suspension of councillors had to happen. Picture: Craig Greenhill

With councils affected by amalgamations soon to be handed over to administrators, Ms Lam believes the councillors won’t return to office.

Under the State Government’s proposal, Auburn Council will be split in half with the northern half joining Parramatta Council while the other half is set to merge with Holroyd Council.

“I’ve been on council for nearly 25 years. It is very sad to see this happen,” she said.

“This council has done so much in terms of infrastructure, services and representation, I believe it has done a magnificent job.”

Salim Mehajer arrives at what would be the last council meeting before he and his fellow councillors were suspended. Picture: Jonathan Ng

George Campbell, who was one of the councillors pushing for an investigation in to the council, said the public inquiry was necessary.

“The suspension of Auburn Council will facilitate the public inquiry and begin the process of restoring public confidence,” Mr Campbell said.

“It’s regrettable that, because of the greed of some councillors, the community will be temporarily deprived of elected representatives. But it's a necessary step forward.”

Former Mosman Council general manager Viv May has been appointed as the administrator and has the power to make decisions usually made by Auburn councillors.

Auburn Council general manager Mark Brisby said “the council will continue to provide all necessary services to the public as normal”.