Councillors back CEO; petition labelled 'malicious'
“I would like to acknowledge the stress that this has caused to our chief executive, his family and the staff and their families.”
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Gore District councillors have apologised to staff for the stress they have been put under while also booting out a petition that called for CEO Steve Parry’s resignation.
Mayor Ben Bell was the sole elected member to vote against that motion to not accept the petition at Tuesday’s council meeting.
It follows the well-documented working relationship breakdown between Bell and Parry.
The petition with 4858 signatures has called for Parry to resign and was launched by Gore resident Sean Burke. Burke happens to be an employee of Gore Cr Joe Stringer.
Burke stated Gore people were fed up with the circus surrounding the council and suggested there was a select few trying to “oust” Bell as mayor.
He also made allegations that Parry had presided over a bullying culture.
Although when the petition was presented on Tuesday a group of councillors instead reaffirmed their support of council staff, including Parry.
Deputy mayor Keith Hovell believed the petition had “little or no credibility”.
“It fails to meet the test as what is required of a petition…. With any petition it is necessary to be able to verify the names of the people who have signed it.
“We have no email addresses, whereby we can identify names.”
Cr Richard McPhail said legal advice on the petition stated the employment of the CEO was not a public matter.
“It is not a matter for the public to debate. If there are serious allegations of wrongdoing, then the council as the employer must act. But beyond that it should ignore wide-ranging or baseless allegations.”
Cr Bronwyn Reid described the petition as “very malicious” in its intent.
“It is in direct legal and moral conflict with our obligations as a good employer to the chief executive.”
Cr Glenys Dickson believed the petition should not have been included in Tuesday’s meeting agenda.
“I note my name is on the petition and I can categorically state that I did not sign the petition.
“The uninformed commentary and the unjustified attacks of the CEO, staff, and councillors is extremely unpleasant and it’s detrimental to the Gore District’s reputation.
“The mayor and councillors have stated publicly that they support the CEO and staff and I believe the Gore District Council staff are diligent and fully committed to ensure the best possible service is provided for our district.
“We all just want to get on with our roles without harassment as it is very hurtful and unjustified.”
McPhail pointed to the fact that on May 3 the mayor and councillors all resolved that they had full confidence in Parry and staff.
“That is still true today.”
Councillors apologised to Parry and other staff for the pressure they had been put under.
Hovell said the staff have had to put up with a lot.
“I’ve heard stories of people who have been insulted in public, staff who have been spat at at meetings. It is totally unacceptable.
“I say to the staff, I’m extremely sorry for what the collective act of the elected officials has resulted in over recent months.
“You don’t deserve it. You have our full support, and I applaud you for being an awesome team that are carrying on keeping this undertaking as business as usual.”
Dickson said there had been uninformed commentary and unjustified attacks on Parry, staff, and councillors.
“[It] is extremely unpleasant and it’s detrimental to the Gore District’s reputation.”
Reid thanked staff for continuing to “do their professionally in the face of nasty, vitriolic personal attacks”.
“I would also like to acknowledge the stress that this has caused to our chief executive, his family and the staff and their families.”
McPhail said despite all the media attention and public pressure the staff of the Gore District Council were coming to work and continued to do an outstanding job.
“This doesn’t go unnoticed by the councillors. I’m sure all of my fellow councillors will join me in thanking the staff for their unwavering commitment to this community.
“Councillors are also aware of the strong support [that] staff have for their operational leadership of the Gore District Council.”
While Bell voted against the motion to not accept the petition, he did not provide his views on the matter which he said was based on standing orders.
councillors need to remember who they represent,4800 signees should not be discarded
It will never be resolved until Parry is gone. His track record is obviously showing he is not easy to work with and his alliance with the previous Mayor made Bell's tenure difficult before he even started.