Glenda McLean works in Mount Isa, Queensland. She also is the mayor of Ararat Rural City Council. In Victoria.
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The two cities are 2600km apart.
That’s the equivalent as driving from Sydney, across NSW, through SA and just into Western Australia.
Or from Melbourne to Sydney – three times.
Cr McLean attended a council meeting on Tuesday night where a no-confidence motion and a motion for her to resign as mayor and councillor were passed.
Councillors gave Cr McLean until noon Wednesday to respond but that voluntary deadline had passed and the mayor reportedly had not responded.
“Cr McLean indicated to Ararat Rural City Council chief executive Allan Bawden and her fellow councillors at the conclusion of the meeting that she would consider the outcome and advise of her decision,” Ararat Rural City stated on Facebook just after 1pm on Wednesday.
“At this time, Cr McLean is yet to indicate of her future at council.”
Cr McLean proposed to councillors she would retain her position on a “fly in, fly out” basis due to her new job as a “senior consultant” at a hospital in Mount Isa, Queensland.
Councillors made their feelings clear when they voted four to two for Cr McLean to resign as mayor and from the council entirely.
Councillors said Cr McLean had made Ararat Rural City Council the subject of ridicule and contempt over her ‘FIFO plan’.
Last week Ms Pulford, while acting Local Government Minister, ruled out sacking Ararat Rural City Council for the time being.
On Wednesday, Ms Pulford said Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz would monitor the situation closely.
On Wednesday the state’s Local Government Minister, Marlene Kairouz, sent Cr McLean a “please explain” over her living and working arrangements.
Ms Kairouz also said that Victorian councils were “independent” of the state government and Cr McLean’s position was “up to the mayor”.
“Whether (Cr McLean’s) position is tenable or not, that’s completely up to the mayor,” Ms Kairouz said.
“She needs to give a very good explanation to her community as to why she has decided to take a job in another state and of course not make her council the number one priority.”
Ms Kairouz said she had previously been a mayor twice.
“My position as mayor came first,” she said. “In fact, I took 12 months leave from a job as a histologist to be mayor, and I think other mayors across the state have done exactly the same thing.
“So, the mayor has a lot of explaining to do to her community as to why she has gone down this path.”
