Central Highlands Mayor Loueen Triffitt raised concerns about a special meeting held without her knowledge to review the council's general manager's performance, accusing some councillors of being emotionally attached to the manager rather than participating professionally. During the meeting, a motion was passed for Mayor Triffitt to retract her accusations, which she believed were aimed at promoting transparency and good governance within the council.
The mayor will also need to publish a notice of her retraction in local newspapers following the council's decision. Deputy Mayor Jim Allwright criticized Mayor Triffitt for not showing any remorse for her statements and suggested that her failure to retract the accusations could damage the reputations of the general manager and other councillors involved. The council is considering further actions, including involving an integrity commission, to address the situation.
The dispute stemmed from a previous meeting where the general manager's performance review was discussed but resulted in disarray, leading to the calling of a special meeting. Despite disagreements among councillors, the process of convening the special meeting was deemed valid according to the council's legal advice, and the decision to hire a facilitator was made collectively without the mayor's individual approval.