Charlotte Varcoe
A GRANT District Council meeting was brought to a stand still this week when four elected members left the meeting less than half an hour after it began.
The walk out was in response to Mayor Richard Sage refusing to apologise to Cr Shirley Little regarding comments about her husband’s employment with council during a recent meeting.
Cr Megan Dukalskis quizzed Mr Sage at an earlier meeting as to whether he had a financial interest in TAFE with the mayor denying a conflict of interest – despite listing TAFE as an income source on the Council’s register of interests due to his wife being employed there.
The discussion then lead to Mr Sage claiming he did not have to declare a conflict of interest and added “Cr [Shirley] Little’s husband cleans toilets…she doesn’t report that.”
At the October 18 meeting, Cr Gillian Clayfield put forward a motion without notice that Mr Sage apologise to Cr Little and her family with the motion passed unanimously by elected members.
The apology was expected to be made at the council meeting on Monday night but Mr Sage announced he would not make the apology as he did not find the comments ‘derogatory’.
Mr Sage made the statement not allowing elected members to reply – stated his previous comments were ‘fact’ and that Cr Little’s husband was a ‘valued employee’.
The refusal prompted Cr Little to express her disappointment and reiterate that the Mr Sage’s comments have hurt her family prior to leaving the meeting – just seven minutes after it began.
Cr’s Clayfield, Dukalskis and Kylie Boston soon followed suit after putting forward a number of motions without notice – leaving the council without a quorum.
Cr Clayfield stated their decision to leave was in support of Cr Little and that Mr Sage’s behaviour ‘would not be tolerated’.
The councillors soon returned for the motion of Greenpoint Access ‘out of respect for the ratepayers’ with other agenda items adjourned for the next council meeting on November 15.
