THE code of conduct complaint levelled against former Bega Valley mayor Tony Allen appears to have no easy resolution.
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At last week’s council meeting, July 1, general manager Leanne Barnes would not be drawn on questions regarding correspondence with the Office of Local Government, despite indications the OLG determined Cr Allen has no case to answer.
A resolution of council directed Cr Allen to publically apologise to a Bermagui woman, Muriel Campbell, after he was found to have breached the local government code of conduct over an incident in 2006 when he was mayor (BDN, 22/12/14).
He refused to apologise and vowed to “pursue this matter as far and for as long as it takes for justice…I did nothing wrong” (BDN, 18/3/15).
Cr Russell Fitzpatrick had previously asked for an update on whether advice had been provided by the OLG to the council regarding the code of conduct complaint and request for an apology.
As no mention of that matter was included in the subsequent meeting agenda as would typically be expected with a question on notice, Cr Bill Taylor raised the issue again.
Ms Barnes said she had had correspondence from the OLG, but was awaiting further review of the confidential information before determining whether she could make any details public.
Meanwhile, the Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association (BVSRRA) is continuing with its pursuit of the matter and calling for Cr Allen to resign.
The BVSRRA’s was one of several submissions to the original code of conduct complaint lodged late last year.
In a media statement this week, the BVSRRA said the council still has a responsibility to respond to Cr Allen’s failure to comply with a resolution of council.
“While Cr Allen has every right to defend his beliefs, the BVSRRA also believes that, as a councillor, he has a clear responsibility to respect and uphold lawful decisions of Council,” the BVSRRA said.
“If standing up for his beliefs means that he can’t comply with a resolution of council, then the BVSRRA believes that he should resign.
“Given that he has not resigned, the BVSRRA believes that Cr Allen’s fellow councillors have a responsibility to pursue a resolution expressing no confidence in him and calling for his resignation.”
“Contrary to the assertions of Cr [Michael] Britten, the BVSRRA believes that the decision of the OLG not to pursue the code of conduct matter means that the entire responsibility for cleaning-up the mess clearly falls back on council.”
Cr Allen chose not to comment on the matter until the council has made its position public.