SAGA OF A DIVIDED COUNCIL
October 2014 Local government elections held. Alderman Kristie Johnston is elected as mayor after receiving 58 per cent of the popular vote, defeating incumbent Stuart Slade and candidate Jenny BranchAllen.
February 4 2015 Ald Johnston requests a copy of the CT Management report into council restructuring to get GCC’s budget back into the black by 2017, general manager Peter Brooks first denies the request then provides to all aldermen a summary of the report.
February 5 2015 At a special council meeting, Ald Johnston adjourns the meeting to allow aldermen to receive and consider the report. The rest of the aldermen continued the meeting without her and voted in support of the report without seeing it
March 10 2015 Director of Local Government Philip Hoysted releases findings of the investigation into the February 5 meeting adjournment, finding it to be valid and decisions made subsequent to the adjournment were invalid.
March 2015 The Mercury publishes an article quoting a notice of motion to be moved by Ald David Pearce at the next council meeting, praising the general manager. Ald Johnston says she has no confidence in the general manager and would vote against it.
June 30 2015 The general manager returned from annual leave, starting on May 26. The mayor asks to meet with him to update him on key issues and discuss budget matters. He replies that he is unavailable and doesn’t propose an alternative time to meet.
October 14 2015 Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein establishes the Board of Inquiry into the council.
February 23 2016 — Ald Jenny Branch-Allen lodges Supreme Court action against the board, seeking a prohibition order to stop the board from continuing its investigation.
February 24 2016 An injunction is granted by the Court.
January 27 2017 Mr Gutwein writes to aldermen giving them until February 3 to convince him why he shouldn’t suspend them for sixmonths.
February 8 2017 Mr Gutwein suspends the council and appoints Sue Smith as commissioner for six months.
April 28 The Board extends the time frame for responses to second draft report from May 11 to June 1.
May 31 Ald Branch-Allen launches and then withdraws a last-minute legal challenge to the inquiry.
June 7 The time frame is extended to June 21.
June 22 The Board informs aldermen that “as a result of a further legal challenge” the report is unable to be finalised with no clear time frame for a resolution.