SHOALHAVEN Mayor Greg Watson has been called on to step down as the community’s leader until an investigation into his infamous “good Jew” comments has been finalised.
Nearly four months after Cr Watson made comments to a public meeting about being “a good Jew” to “screw the last dollar” out of a deal late in April, the Department of Local Government is continuing to investigate what was said and whether the comments breached codes of conduct.
However, on Monday respected Nowra medical practitioner Dr Danny Harmelin called on Cr Watson to step down from his position, questioning the message Cr Watson’s position as Shoalhaven Mayor was sending about the council not only to the local community, but also to business and civic leaders throughout Australia.
Dr Harmelin claimed the comments revealed Cr Watson as “an unsatisfactory individual to be mayor”.
Issuing his call to council and the South Coast Register, Dr Harmelin said, “I can’t understand how he’s still functioning in this role while there’s this serious issue unresolved.”
Dr Harmelin said he was appalled when the comments were made at a public meeting, particularly as anti-Semitic sentiments had made a huge impact on his life.
He revealed his parents were both Holocaust survivors, while his grandmother was among the thousands murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, and his grandfather barely survived being in the Mauthausen concentration camp.
Cr Watson’s words and conduct were “an affront to their memories and the memories of the millions of others who were murdered on the basis of their race,” Dr Harmelin said.
And he questioned Cr Watson’s capacity to lead in the wake of the comments.
“I don’t think it’s acceptable that a person who expresses racist views remains in public office,” Dr Harmelin said.
“It is offensive that the mayor has not reviewed his position and that he continues as a publicly funded official after his racist remarks.”
Dr Harmelin said the comments would have brought an immediate response had they been made by an elected official in any other level or sphere of government.
“Had it occurred in State or Federal Government there would have been no discussion – that individual would not have continued in that position,” he said.
The deputy director general of the Department of Local Government, Ross Woodward, said Cr Watson’s behaviour was still being investigated.
While the words used by Cr Watson, and his explanations made in following weeks which members of the local Jewish community said exacerbated the situation, were all cut and dried, Mr Woodward said determining whether the behaviour breached codes of conduct was more difficult.
“It’s a fairly complicated matter,” he said.
Departmental officers were looking at whether Cr Watson’s behaviour fell within what the Local Government Act, or indeed council’s own conduct code, described as misconduct, according to Mr Woodward.
He revealed the investigation may also spread out to look at other legislation to see if that had been breached.
“We haven’t had anything like this before,” Mr Woodward admitted.
Cr Watson yesterday refused to comment on Dr Harmelin’s call for him to step down.