Axe hovers over Logan council
LOGAN City Council is expected to be sacked as early as today and an administrator brought in after the majority of its elected councillors were suspended last week in an unprecedented corruption probe.
Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe is expected to move on the council following the Crime and Corruption Commission’s decision to charge suspended mayor Luke Smith and seven other councillors with fraud over the dismissal of the council’s CEO Sharon Kelsey.
Mr Hinchliffe is understood to have been left with little choice given nine of the council’s elected representatives are now suspended, leaving four.
Cr Smith was suspended last year after being charged with perjury and official corruption over allegations about his dealings with a major donor and developer.
He was last week further charged by the CCC with fraud over Ms Kelsey’s sacking, alongside councillors Russell Lutton, Steve Swenson, Cherie Dalley, Laurie Smith, Phil Pidgeon, Trevina Schwartz and Jennie Breene. Fellow councillor Stacey McIntosh was suspended last year as she defends an unrelated fraud charge.