Townsville’s ousted deputy mayor turns against CEO process

Townsville’s ousted deputy mayor voted to recruit the council’s CEO. So why has Paul Jacob now turned against him?

State appointed adviser John Oberhardt and CEO Joe McCabe talk after councillors voted to replace Acting Mayor Paul Jacob with Ann Maree Greaney. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville’s former deputy mayor Paul Jacob cautions that he will now “express my true feelings” after he was ousted from the role last month, as he intends on being Townsville City Council’s “opposition”.

And his first move in his new, unofficial position has been to attack the months’ long process that led to the appointment of chief executive Joe McCabe.

Last month councillors voted in a new deputy mayor to cover for Troy Thompson, who had been placed under 12-months paid suspension while the Crime and Corruption Commission investigated misconduct claims against him.

Councillors planned a special meeting to seek a new deputy mayor four months before Mr Jacob completed his 12-month term, and voted in Ann Maree Greaney, a week after a private workshop under the supervision of state appointed adviser John Oberhardt.

Under the previous Labor government Mr Oberhardt was tasked with resolving increasingly reported dysfunction between Mr Thompson and the other councillors.

Ann-Maree Greaney shakes hands with Paul Jacob after she was elected to replace him as Acting Mayor. Picture: Evan Morgan

Ms Greaney hoped for a “united front” under her leadership focusing on delivering for the city, but Mr Jacob said he was now free to protest past decisions such as voting in the CEO.

Mr McCabe was appointed in October after months of confidential deliberations among councillors, during which he served in the acting role left by predecessor Prins Ralston.

“I don’t believe personally the handling of the whole situation of how the CEO was appointed was done correctly,” Mr Jacob said.

Paul Jacob speaks to media briefly after stepping down from the Acting Mayor role. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr McCabe was the interim CEO while the recruitment process led by recruiting firm McArthur short-listed its candidates, of which he was one of them, and staff including himself were removed from confidential recruitment meetings among councillors.

Mr McCabe is not accused of wrongdoing, and Mr Jacob would not explain why he denounced the process except to criticise “certain rules” the recruitment company put in the place.

“And I told them … it wasn’t a fair appraisal of the candidates,” Mr Jacob said.

Ann-Maree Greaney chairs the council meeting as the process of electing her as Acting Mayor, and deputy, takes place. Picture: Evan Morgan

He voted in support of Mr McCabe’s recruitment at the time because he believed was bound by “an obligation” to do so as the deputy mayor.

“I had to work with the CEO, I wasn’t going to show the CEO that I wasn’t in agreeance with the whole process, so I went along with it for the sake of unity within the council,” Mr Jacob said.

“The responsibility of the deputy mayor extends more than just being an ordinary councillor like I am now, and there are certain decisions that you’ve got to make at the time to make sure that you still have got a united council.

CEO Joe McCabe and Paul Jacob while he chairs the council meeting as Acting Mayor. Picture: Evan Morgan

“Could you imagine if I had voted no on the CEO and then I had to go and work with him as the acting mayor?

“I knew it was coming.

“I knew Troy would be stood down.

“I’d be the acting mayor and here I am voting and sitting alongside the CEO at council meetings when I didn’t vote for him.”

Mr Thompson publicly made his position against Mr McCabe being appointed to the role, having made claims of misconduct the chief legal officer dismissed as untrue, but he had also made a Queensland Human Rights Commission complaint against the council.

His claims aimed at seeking $100,000 from the ratepayer was focused on Mr McCabe denying him access to the office after he took health leave, which he said discriminated his epilepsy.

Mr Thompson did not take a final vote to recruit a chief executive, having left the room because of a perceived conflict of interest, and the only councillor to vote against the appointment was Vera Dirou, who did not give a reason.

She now considers herself an independent voter even though she was affiliated in the election campaign with Team Change, led by Mr Jacob.

Mr Jacob described Mr Thompson’s action to seek damages as a “desperation plea”, having felt attacked by the councillors unanimously voting they had no confidence in him after he admitted to misrepresenting claims of his military, business, and education qualifications on national television.

But he agreed with the CEO’s decision at the time to keep Mr Thompson away from the office until he was able to provide a health certificate.

“I didn’t want any threats put to the councillors, and I think that was one of the reasons why he wasn’t allowed back in,” Mr Jacob said.

Last June when Mr Thompson announced on social media he would be taking health leave, he wrote, “those who’ve done me wrong should be very concerned.”

Townsville City Council was contacted for comment about Mr Jacob’s concerns with the CEO recruitment process.

Originally published as Townsville’s ousted deputy mayor turns against CEO process