What Gold Coast City Council CEO David Edwards' resignation means for Glitter Strip projects

The Gold Coast’s top bureaucrat has sensationally resigned, just three weeks after taking on the role - now it's revealed his departure may put a dent in plans to turbo-charge the city. FIND OUT MORE

• FULL INTERVIEW: BULLETIN SPEAKS TO COUNCIL CEO
• Fury at Tate over 'captain's pick' for Edwards
• Coast councillors reveal their suburb wishlist

THE shock resignation of Gold Coast City Council CEO David Edwards has put a massive dent in Tom Tate’s plans to turbo-charge the economy with major projects like the cableway.

Mr Edwards resigned on Wednesday just three weeks after replacing Dale Dickson as council CEO. His decision to step down is believed to be health related.

However, council insiders warned ratepayers not to expect a Lazarus-type comeback from Mr Dickson, given the way his 18-year tenure ended at City Hall.

Councillors were told of Mr Edwards’ resignation in an email from Mayor Tate about midday on Wednesday.

Mr Edwards took personal leave late last month for an unspecified amount of time. But staff were expecting him to return this month.

Mr Edwards was unavailable for comment.

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Council will hold a special meeting next Wednesday to determine how to fill the position.

Mayor Tate declined to comment, saying only: “In respect to council I won’t be commenting until after next Wednesday’s special meeting.”

A council source told the Bulletin: “All the councillors have been given an email. David Edwards will not be coming back. We think it is for family reasons, due to some ill health.”

The Bulletin announced in late February that Mr Edwards had won the city’s top job. He had served as then Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney’s chief of staff in the Newman government before being promoted to director general of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.

Under the Labor government, he had been the projects chief executive at the Department of Innovation and Tourism Industry Development.

Mr Edwards had been involved with negotiations of the proposed casino-resort planned for Southport’s Carey Park before it was halted by the government, and earlier with Mr Seeney, who pushed unsuccessfully for a casino-hotel development as part of a proposed cruise ship terminal at Wavebreak Island in the Broadwater.

Mr Edwards’ council brief was to turbo-charge the city’s COVID-hit economy, first with a report on a proposed cableway in the hinterland and possibly later with the offshore cruise ship terminal at The Spit.

Mr Edwards had planned to talk to stakeholders on both sides of the political and environmental divides about the major projects.

“Some people in the community have since commented that the selection of the CEO (Mr Edwards) was a predetermined outcome because of the allegiances of that person’s specific experience and the Mayor’s major projects,” a council insider said.

“The Mayor is now confounded. What does he do? His objective is to get his major projects up.”

Insiders say councillors will also have to decide if they go back to the market for a new boss or consider one of the four other leading candidates in the recent CEO job selection process that included Mr Dickson.

A council source said: “The hope is that councillors will be adult enough about this (and not go back to the market). They will say ‘who are the other four, what are they doing in their life now, are they available?’.

“That is unlikely to include Dale Dickson. You won’t be seeing a Lazarus here.

“That would be very surprising. Does the council just apologise and say welcome back?”

The Bulletin has been told Mr Dickson has the support of at least seven councillors. Among them were several senior representatives including Glenn Tozer, Peter Young, Daphne McDonald and Bob La Castra.

FULL INTERVIEW: BULLETIN SPEAKS TO COUNCIL CEO

Those councillors pushing for change and not to renew Mr Dickson’s contract were understood to be Mayor Tate, Deputy Mayor Donna Gates, planning chair Cameron Caldwell and Robina councillor Hermann Vorster.

WEDNESDAY: 

THE Gold Coast’s top bureaucrat David Edwards has resigned, just three weeks after replacing Dale Dickson as council CEO.

Councillors were told of Mr Edwards’ resignation in an email from Mayor Tom Tate on Wednesday. It is believed to be health related.

Mr Edwards took personal leave late in March for an unspecified amount of time. But staff were expecting him to return in April.

Council will hold a special meeting next Wednesday to determine how to fill the position.

Mayor Tate declined to comment, saying only: “In respect to council I won’t be commenting until after next Wednesday’s special meeting.”

A council source told the Bulletin: “All the councillors have been given an email. David Edwards will not be coming back. We think it is for family reasons, due to some ill health.”

The Bulletin announced in late February that Mr Edwards had won the city’s top job, ending Mr Dickson’s 18-year reign.

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Mr Edwards had served as then Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney’s chief of staff in the Newman government before being promoted to director general of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.

Under the Labor government, he had been the projects chief executive at the Department of Innovation and Tourism Industry Development.

Mr Edwards had been involved with negotiations of the proposed casino-resort planned for Southport’s Carey Park before being halted by the government, and earlier with Mr Seeney, who pushed unsuccessfully for a casino hotel development as part of a proposed cruise ship terminal at Wavebreak Island in the Broadwater.

However, his short tenure at council was clouded in controversy.

After councillors voted 14-1 to approve the Mayor negotiating the $600,000-plus contract, Mr Edwards told Cr Tate about a departmental investigation that found he had failed to manage and disclose an actual or potential conflict of interest with private industry executives.

Mr Edwards maintained he was targeted by a “small group of senior public servants” and their comments were “both disappointing and defamatory and I will be considering my legal options”.

Several city councillors were furious with Mayor Tate for not being updated on the misconduct findings during Mr Edwards’ contract talks for the CEO position.

In late March, councillors were sent an email stating that Mr Edwards would be on leave for an unspecified amount of time.

“Mr Edwards has taken personal leave due to a family member’s poor health. He is expected to be back on April 12,” a spokesman for Mayor Tate said at the time.

Mr Edwards’ first official day on the job was Monday, March 22. Joe McCabe was Acting CEO.

MARCH 31 REPORT

DAYS after the Gold Coast City Council’s new CEO took the chair he has taken time off on leave.

Councillors were sent an email late last week stating that David Edwards – who replaced longtime CEO Dale Dickson – would be on leave for an unspecified amount of time, a spokesman for the Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said.

“Mr Edwards has taken personal leave due to a family member’s poor health. He is expected to be back on April 12,” the spokesman said.

It is understood that despite being on leave Mr Edwards has been working from home.

Mr Edwards’ first official day on the job was Monday, March 22.

FULL INTERVIEW: BULLETIN SPEAKS TO COUNCIL CEO

The Bulletin spoke to the mayor’s office at about 12.50pm on Wednesday.

At 1.28pm, Cr Tate sent an email to councillors.

“This is to advise that I granted pre-approved leave to the new CEO Mr David Edwards before he commenced his employment with the City,” the email said.

“Now I note Greater Brisbane is in lockdown and David has not as yet moved to the Gold Coast.

“My appointment of Mr Joe McCabe as Acting CEO will continue a further two and half weeks.”

FULL DIGITAL ACCESS: JUST $1 FOR FIRST 28 DAYS

Gold Coast City Council's new CEO David Edwards. Picture: Jerad Williams.

Sources told the Bulletin that Mr Edwards had appointments with councillors earlier this week which were cancelled but have not been rescheduled.

Mr Edwards’s appointment as the city’s top public servant was not without controversy.

The job comes with a more than $600,000 pay packet.

After councillors voted 14-1 to hire Mr Edwards, it was revealed there had been three different misconduct findings against him for actions while working for a state government department.

Several city councillors were furious with Cr Tate after not being updated on misconduct findings against Mr Edwards.

Mr Edwards maintains he has been targeted by a “small group of senior public servants” and their comments were “both disappointing and defamatory and I will be considering my legal options”.

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