Carnarvon shire council will receive commissioner after mass resignations

A commissioner will be appointed to the Shire of Carnarvon, following six out of eight councillors resigning. (ABC News: Anthony Pancia) WA's local government minister will appoint a commissioner to the Shire of Carnarvon after six councillors resigned. The shire was unable to reach a quorum after three potential backfill candidates declined to fill roles on the council. The former shire president cited a "total breakdown in the working relationship" with the chief executive's office in his reasons for stepping down after 20 years on council. Link copiedShareShare articleA former shire president in regional Western Australia says the decision to resign from the position after 20 years nearly "tore my heart out". The state government has confirmed a commissioner will be appointed to the Shire of Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth, following the mass resignation of councillors. Six out of eight councillors tendered their resignation over four days, leaving the shire council without a quorum. The series of council resignations was kicked off by former shire president Eddie Smith, on Friday, May 1. Eddie Smith said stepping down from council "tore his heart out". (ABC News: Kelsey Reid) Mr Smith had sat on council for almost 20 years, including as shire president from 2019. Speaking with ABC Radio Perth, Mr Smith said he could no longer legally fulfil the role due to a "total breakdown in the working relationship" with the chief executive officer's office. The former shire president said he did not feel comfortable discussing specific issues and had concerns over possible legal action if he were to speak "openly and honestly". "You put a lot of work into these things, and over the last six and a half years, especially as shire president, I took a lot of pride in some of the things we actually got through." Mr Smith highlighted the council's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a point of pride in his tenure as shire president. Carnarvon is located 890km north of Perth in the Gascoyne region. (ABC News: Kelsey Reid) "The support I've received from the community … has been overwhelming, massive, it's just shocked me," an emotional Mr Smith said. While Mr Smith said he was not expecting the five other councillors to follow suit in resigning, he described their support as "absolutely amazing". "It bears witness to the way we conducted ourselves as a team." Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley initially attempted to backfill the council positions with the remaining three unsuccessful candidates from the most recent local government elections. Hannah Beazley described the situation in Carnarvon as "unusual" and "a relative surprise". (ABC News: Emma Wynne) The minister said in a statement that the three prospective candidates declined the offer. "It is an absolute priority for me to appoint a Commissioner to ensure that the Shire of Carnarvon can make decisions and continue to deliver services to its residents and ratepayers. "The Commissioner will be in place until an extraordinary election can be held." Eddie Smith thanked the Carnarvon community for their support. (ABC News: Kelsey Reid) According to Mr Smith, the state's local government inspector recently visited Carnarvon at Mr Smith's request and held "very good" meetings with the administration and council. However, he said the meetings were unsuccessful in mending issues between the parties. Ms Beazley said in addition to a commissioner being appointed to the Shire of Carnarvon, she would support the local government inspector appointing a monitor. The Shire of Carnarvon, chief executive Amanda Dexter, and office of the local government inspector have been contacted for comment. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop StoriesNSW Health patient 'paralysed with fear' after threatening video, royal commission hearsTopic:Royal Commissions

Carnarvon shire council will receive commissioner after mass resignations

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