Paula Masselos: Waverley mayor calls in lawyers over coronavirus criticism
This eastern suburbs mayor has called in the lawyers after a political rival questioned her response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wentworth Courier
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A Sydney mayor has sent in the lawyers over a Facebook post by a political rival that criticised her response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Waverley’s Labor mayor Paula Masselos claims she was defamed by the post by Liberal councillor Leon Goltsman last Wednesday, March 18.
Cr Masselos has threatened to commence legal proceedings against Cr Goltsman unless the post is removed and he publishes an apology.
The new mayor also issued a letter from her lawyers to News Corp when a right of reply was sought and declined to comment
The eastern suburbs mayor's threats follow a post by Cr Goltsman on March 18, 2020, in which he claims he was denied an opportunity to move an "urgency item" before council concerning the transmission of the coronavirus.
The mayor claims the post included false allegations against her which have damaged her reputation.
Mayor Masselos was voted into the top job last year, taking over from Labor colleague John Wakefield.
The agenda item which sparked the series of events last week was whether or not council should close the Bondi Junction Library to stem the transmission of the potentially deadly virus.
Other urgency items on the agenda had been brought forward at last week’s meeting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think it is pre-emptive of us to look at a library closure motion without investigating,” Mayor Masselos said at the meeting.
It was brought forward after Waverley’s neighbouring council in Woollahra had adopted a similar measure to protect elderly people contracting coronavirus.
By Monday of this week the move would have been void, given NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down.
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