Councillor opening

Acountback will determine Horsham Rural City’s next councillor.

The Victorian Electoral Commission, VEC, will undertake a countback of all votes from the 2020 council election to determine whether candidates Brian Basham or Robert Redden will be offered a place at the sevenmember council table.

It comes after the resignation of Di Bell on Friday.

Mr Basham originally placed eighth, with 3.79 percent of the first-preference vote, and Dr Redden ninth, with 3.19 percent, among a field of nine candidates. All candidates not elected at the 2020 election, and who remain eligible to be a councillor, are automatically participants in a countback. The VEC was yet to receive formal notification of the vacancy when The Weekly Advertiser went to press.

A spokesperson said VEC would begin a process to fill the vacancy once notification was received and a timeline confirmed.

Chief executive Sunil Bhalla said the council was corresponding with the VEC. He expected more details to become available in coming days.

Mr Bhalla acknowledged Mrs Bell’s service, and her comments of an ‘unsafe workplace’ in resigning from her role.

“The health and safety of our staff and councillors is paramount,” he said.

“We are committed to ensuring Horsham Rural City Council’s values of respect, integrity and accountability are embedded across all levels of council and we will continue working with the monitor appointed to the council in recent weeks.”

Mr Bhalla said Mrs Bell’s resignation did not impact the scope and work of municipal monitor Jude Holt, who, across a six-month period, will observe governance processes and report on issues, provide advice to the council and make recommendations to the Local Government Minister Melissa Horne for further action.

Candidate Mr Basham, a former police officer who now works as a mental health counsellor and clinical hypnotherapist, said he ‘absolutely’ remained interested in becoming a councillor. He moved to the region in 2016. He said he stood for transparency, integrity and openness and he believed the council could do better in engaging and communicating with residents – right across the municipality.

He wants to see the return of fortnightly meetings – one outside of Horsham – to engage with the community.

“I’ve always believed that council exists for the residents and ratepayers – and I’ve always said that. This isn’t about the people sitting around the table – whether it’s staff or councillors – it’s about the people,” he said.

Mr Basham has been a vocal commentator of the council for years.

“What I have put on display, and the commentary I make, are, what I think, legitimate comments,” he said.

“We live in a democracy that is founded on freedom of speech, so as long as I don’t do anything illegal or defamatory – and I don’t think anything I’ve ever done is defamatory – I think I would still express the concerns I’ve expressed; but if I was elected, I would express them internally first.”

Mr Basham said he would renominate for election in 2024, regardless of the countback’s outcome.

The VEC spokesperson said once the countback was conducted, the successful candidate must complete and return a declaration stating they are still qualified to be a councillor. If the candidate does not return the declaration within 48 hours, a further countback would be held.

The Weekly Advertiser was unable to contact Dr Redden, a retired seed curator and non-fiction writer.

AHorsham woman has vowed to continue advocating for, and working with, the community after resigning from local government.

Di Bell stepped down from her role as Horsham Rural City councillor on Friday, effective immediately, citing safety and culture concerns, and impacts to her physical and mental health, as drivers behind her decision.

She was elected to the seven-member council in 2020 – one of six firsttime councillors.

Horsham councillors, at their June meeting, voted to write to the local government inspectorate requesting it investigate whether Mrs Bell had failed to disclose a conflict of interest in business considered during a confidential section of the council’s May meeting. The motion alleged her conduct amounted to a misuse of position, contrary to the Local Government Act 2020.

Mrs Bell said she was unaware of the motion prior to the meeting.

She said the ‘soul-destroying manner’ in which the motion was raised was, ultimately, the deciding factor behind her resignation after a long period of unresolved conflict. She rejects the allegations. “It was time. I couldn’t see a way through it,” she said of her resignation.

Mrs Bell said the council environment was ‘no longer a safe workplace’.

“We were seven very different people. Because we all came from different backgrounds and walks of life, I thought we had a good show of being able to have respectful discussions – because we represented so many different areas and demographics of the community,” she said.

“I felt that when comments were made or questions were asked, some would take it as attacking the person, not the subject matter.

“I had an aim to build a bridge between the council and the community.

“For us as a municipality, we have to be working together – and the fact we haven’t been able to do that... I won’t regard it as a failure because it takes more than one person to build bridges, but it is disappointing.”

Mrs Bell has made repeated allegations of dysfunction within the council and had publicly called for help – including, she says, from the Local Government Minister.

She said councillors, state-wide, needed an organisation or individual they could access for assistance, advice or support. The State Government appointed a municipal monitor to the council last month to observe governance processes and report on issues, provide advice to the council and make recommendations to the government for further action.

Education key

Mrs Bell said listening and communicating was the council’s ‘biggest challenge’.

She said opportunities such as educating the community about the council’s role, including the difference between responsibilities of elected officials and operations; and working with organisations to understand ‘subjective’ solutions for challenges and opportunities remained.

She said involving the community in strategic planning and decisionmaking was critical to the future prosperity of the municipality.

Mrs Bell said she would continue working for the community.

“But I will work beside them and among them,” she said.

“The community is my passion and once I’ve regrouped, I’ll be back working amongst them again.”

Mrs Bell thanked members of the community for their ‘continual support’ throughout her term.

“It has meant a lot to me, the extra support and kindness and regular messages I’ve had, consistently, since June 27,” she said.

Mrs Bell said while the experience did not meet her expectations, she loved to learn and the skills she gained during her term would contribute positively to future endeavours.