City of Nedlands mass resignation: Why it will take a week to dismiss last councillors standing

It could take a fortnight for commissioners to take control of the scandal-plagued City of Nedlands — but the councillors at the centre of the saga could renominate for the local government elections due to be held later this year. Minister for Local Government Hannah Beazley has launched the process to dismiss mayor Fiona Argyle and three remaining councillors, after the snap resignation of four councillors. “I’ll be bringing an end to the embarrassing saga of dysfunction and disunity at the City of Nedlands,” Ms Beazley told reporters on Tuesday. She said three commissioners are likely to be appointed, but for how long is unclear. “There are some complexities that we’re working through at the moment with the October elections sort of looming as a possible end date,” Ms Beazley said. “Once the commissioners are appointed every seat, including the mayor’s, is vacated so it becomes a full spill election. “There’s nothing stopping the mayor and councillors from renominating again. I would encourage them to use this opportunity to rest and reset and reflect on the behaviour that they have undertaken. “I’d also encourage other community members to put their hand up for council and I’d certainly encourage the City of Nedlands voters to be coming out in force because, ultimately, the decision is theirs about who represents them around the council.” The Council was gridlocked for months, with mayor Fiona Argyle and councillors Kerry Smyth, Blane Brackenridge and Rebecca Coghlan usually on one side and the ‘anti-Fiona’ bloc of Ben Hodsdon, Noel Youngman, Fergus Bennet and Hengameh Amiry on the other. Mr Hodsdon described the stand-off with State Government over the location of a children’s hospice in Swanbourne as the “straw that broke the camel’s back” but it wasn’t the only point of contention. Meetings were frequently shut down by shouting matches or councillors storming out. Last week, councillors Hodsdon, Youngman, Bennett and Amiry didn’t turn up while Ms Argyle dialled in from overseas. Insiders described it as a series of “personality clashes” that became spiteful, but also accused chief executive Keri Shannon of siding with Ms Argyle and making the friction worse. Ms Beazley wouldn’t guarantee Ms Shannon’s position on Tuesday. “When the commissioners come in they’ll need to be working with the CEO and assess the administration and how that’s functioning,” she said. Ms Beazley rejected claims she should have intervened sooner, and said an investigation by the Department of Local Government into potential breaches of the Local Government Act was due to report back “soon.” “I’m really hopeful as we enter into the new period of reform next year, with the establishment of the Office of the Inspector that allows a lot more early intervention tools,” she said. “So we could have gone in under that new reformed model, we could have gone into the City of Nedlands a lot earlier when the early warning signs were there.” She also declined to weigh in on Ms Argyle’s comments, during a bizarre ABC Radio interview, declaring Monday a “great day” in the wake of the mass resignation of councillors Ben Hodsdon, Noel Youngman, Hengameh Amiry and Fergus Bennett. “I welcome these resignations, this is fantastic news for all ratepayers in the City of Nedlands,” Ms Argyle said. “I am the most popularly elected mayor since the 1970’s. I’m a globalised girl with almost three university degrees that can speak two languages. “It’s just most grossly unfortunate that I have four people on that Council who have misbehaved, and I welcome their resignation.” In his resignation email, Mr Youngman said the administration was no longer trusted and raised concerns about transparency. “I feel the community is no longer fully informed about what is happening or what is planned for the future,” he said. “From my perspective the level of trust from our community and State Government in the City has diminished significantly over the past year.” Mr Hodsdon was the first of the quartet to resign, blaming a “toxic and dysfunctional” work environment and an “inability” to work with the Cook Government on issues, including the Children’s hospice under construction in Swanbourne. A battle over plans to revitalise Allen Park, as a recreation space for children at the hospice, included a digital billboard - funded by Ms Argyle, with the City of Nedlands logo - calling for the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation to keep “Hands Off” the A-class reserve. Planning Minister John Carey intervened in June, to excise part of the park and hand control to the Child and Adolescent Health Service. “I’m very comfortable with the decisions that have been made around the hospice and the recreational area adjacent to it,” Ms Beazley said. “The City of Nedlands were given every opportunity to participate in that process.”