Helen McCaffrey tells ICAC John Sidoti turned Liberals against her

The former mayor of Canada Bay Council has told the corruption watchdog she suspects NSW MP John Sidoti betrayed her and other Liberals in a council election after they refused to rezone his family property.

The former mayor of Canada Bay Council has told the corruption watchdog she suspects NSW MP John Sidoti betrayed her and other Liberals in a council election after they refused to rezone his family property.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption also heard the MP told an inexperienced Liberal “I‘m f***ed” as he allegedly tried to reshape Five Dock for his own benefit.

Helen McCaffrey this week told the ICAC she felt pressured and compromised by Sidoti when she worked as a councillor and then mayor at Canada Bay Council.

In late 2016 she was one of the councillors who refused to rezone an area of Five Dock that comprised Sidoti’s family property.

Former Canada Bay Mayor Helen McCaffrey has told ICAC she suspects NSW MP John Sidoti betrayed her and other Liberals.

Ms McCaffrey told the ICAC that, some months later, she asked Sidoti to endorse her for mayor to Liberal party preselectors. He wrote a letter in April 2017 singing her praises.

Then-Mayor McCaffrey was expecting to use the letter to win the Liberal party’s endorsement to hold on to the top job. She also believed preselectors would give her the highly coveted second slot on the broader Liberal councillor ticket.

But she said an inexperienced Sidoti staffer briefly put her hand up to contest the mayoral ticket and preselectors “block voted” Ms McCaffrey down to the unenviable fourth spot on the team ticket.

The Liberals suffered swings against them and Ms McCaffrey lost her position as Labor took back the mayorship.

“I found it surprising that I‘d served on council for a long time (but) I would be dropped,” Ms McCaffrey said.

The ousted mayor suspected Sidoti had betrayed her despite the glowing letter he‘d written months earlier.

Liberal MP John Sidoti and his legal team arrive at an ICAC hearing in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Sidoti had allegedly been trying to influence Liberal councillors for years. The ICAC heard he once emailed the Liberals confirming their support for an upcoming vote.

Newcomer Councillor Tanveer Ahmed responded he’d be out of town.

“Without you I‘m f***ed, won’t have the numbers,” Sidoti wrote back.

Dr Ahmed said he didn‘t realise anything was wrong or improper in the state MP using his planning experience to push ideas.

The councillor rearranged his plans to attend the meeting.

Dr Tanveer told the ICAC there was an “unusual” and ”intrusive” amount of communication from Sidoti as he appeared to lobby for the business community at the expense of the rest of the electorate.

“I didn‘t think the nature of his advocacy was inappropriate and to some extent I had sympathy for it.”

Sidoti denies all wrongdoing.

Dr Tanveer will return to the witness box tomorrow.