Council storm shows no sign of letting up

COUNCIL CEO Dale Dickson has terminated the employment of Mayor Tom Tate’s chief of staff, Wayne Moran. But could this political storm, which started more than two years ago, have been prevented from becoming a major event?

The unwritten back story starts in 2017. Councillor William Owen-Jones becomes aware of a mayoral directive and gets a full list. Colleague Glenn Tozer requests the same from the CEO.

Cr Tozer, on reading the list, becomes aware Mr Dickson is directed to stop further disciplinary action against Mr Moran regarding alleged failure to declare conflicts of interest.

He seeks advice from the then Local Government director, Frankie Carroll.

The DG advises him to put forward a resolution in which Mr Dickson will deal with the matter as a councillor conduct report and “complete a preliminary assessment of that complaint”.

Mr Carroll provides a second part to the motion – Mr Dickson must provide him with a copy of his preliminary assessment “together with a copy of the complaint document”.

In a text to Mr Carroll, Cr Tozer writes: “I want to advise in advance that I think the CEO is conflicted in this matter given his preliminary assessment is likely to compromise his personal working relationship with the Mayor under whose direction he serves.”

Mr Carroll writes back: “That’s the reason for the second part of the resolution as he must provide assessment to the Dept (sic) – the current structure of the Act means the CEO must do the preliminary assessment.”

Cr Tozer seeks more advice from the Local Government Association of Queensland ethics adviser, Joan Sheldon, and LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam.

The resolution at the governance committee, chaired by Cr Owen-Jones, is supported.

At full council, behind closed doors, Cr Tozer informs councillors about the DG’s advice. They have the directives in an Attachment A.

His recommendation is not supported and Attachment A, which contains the mayoral directives, is kept confidential.

Only councillors OwenJones, Peter Young and Daphne McDonald support him.

Cr Owen-Jones is removed from the governance committee, effectively sent to the back of Beenleigh. Peter Young, aware of the directives, starts making complaints to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Cr McDonald becomes increasingly involved in spats with the Mayor.

And what happens with Cr Tozer? He writes a complaint to the department and the officers send it to the CCC.

In his affidavit, he says he had hoped the council could be “self regulating”, that this was not about “political oneupmanship” and that everyone could have learned by the experience.

Investigations take months, and months turn into years. The CCC completes its report on Operation Yabber and the 84-page report focuses on this directive. The CCC did not lay criminal charges.

Mr Moran says he is “pleased and not surprised that the CCC confirmed no corruption or anything criminal on my part”.

Cr Tate is referred to the Office of Independent Assessor. The Mayor denies any breach of council policy, inappropriate conduct and misconduct and maintains he “intervened for the betterment of the city”.

Mr Moran reacts to his termination by admitting he had lost a “long-term turf war” and was being “unfairly denied access to a range of documents and emails”.

So we are headed for a council poll next month. Some councillors now privately admit they should have supported Cr Tozer’s resolution to go to an independent adjudicator.

Hardworking council officers with the city’s interests at heart, and all elected representatives, are caught in a storm cloud which, like the rain outside, is not going away fast.