What (we wonder) does Cr Ian Pottinger have to say about the outcome of the $33,000+ investigation which he triggered when he lodged a Code of Conduct complaint against Invercargill’s deputy mayor.
PoO reported on Monday about the captious councillor’s latest complaint, this time concerning the robust language allegedly directed at a council staffer at a meeting he did not attend.
Never mind. Someone told him what was allegedly said at the meeting, it seems, and he was impelled to take action to have the council’s Code of Conduct respected.
Never mind, too, that the deputy mayor had apologised for whatever he said and the staffer apparently didn’t hear the words that riled Pottinger, who did not hear them, either.
An official investigation was launched, a report was prepared, and PoO has learned of the outcome from this OneNews report:
Invercargill city councillors have rejected the findings of a $33,000 independent investigation which found deputy mayor Grant Dermody said “you f…ing d..k” or “you’re a d…head” and breached the council’s code of conduct.
Matthew Rosenberg, the reporter, provided some background:
On February 3, Dermody attended a Rugby Park stakeholders event where it was alleged by councillors Ria Bond, Darren Ludlow and Alex Crackett that he directed foul language at a council staffer.
The language was never heard by the staff member, and the complaint was lodged by a councillor who was not in attendance — Ian Pottinger.
Dermody maintained he had said “that’s ridiculous” to someone he did not know at another table, albeit in an aggressive manner.
On Tuesday, the majority of councillors determined the council’s code of conduct had not been materially breached at a special meeting held to discuss the matter.
Councillor Lisa Tou-McNaughton expressed disappointment over the time, money and resources spent.
“It sees us mitigating an alleged comment that is several different versions. I’ve read the information presented numerous times and find there to be an inconsistency in the evidence presented,” she said.
“There are four different versions of what was believed to be heard.”
Councillor Steve Broad said there was potential politicking at play [who would have believed that might happen?] and felt information had been shared and spread which did not need to be passed on.
Cr Andrea de Vries, among those who confirmed Dermody had said “that’s ridiculous”. said how an issue was dealt with mattered as much as the issue itself, and questioned if the council was “content with being liturgist by nature”.
The OneNews report recalls that on February 3, an Invercargill Rugby Park stakeholders meeting was held at the venue’s lounge.
All councillors were invited to attend.
Seventeen days later, council chief executive Michael Day received a code of conduct complaint from councillor Pottinger which said although he had not attended the meeting, he had been made aware of a “d..khead” comment from councillor Bond.
He is reported to have said he had no choice.
Really?
This is the sixth council Code of Conduct investigation since 2020. Pottinger has been directly involved in at least three, primarily in the role of the complainant.
Council staff confirmed during Tuesday’s meeting that the cost of the latest investigation was currently sitting at $33,000 including GST, with one invoice still to come.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
Never mind, too, that the deputy mayor had apologised for whatever he said and the staffer apparently didn’t hear the words that riled Pottinger, who did not hear them, either.
An official investigation was launched, a report was prepared, and PoO has learned of the outcome from this OneNews report:
Invercargill city councillors have rejected the findings of a $33,000 independent investigation which found deputy mayor Grant Dermody said “you f…ing d..k” or “you’re a d…head” and breached the council’s code of conduct.
Matthew Rosenberg, the reporter, provided some background:
On February 3, Dermody attended a Rugby Park stakeholders event where it was alleged by councillors Ria Bond, Darren Ludlow and Alex Crackett that he directed foul language at a council staffer.
The language was never heard by the staff member, and the complaint was lodged by a councillor who was not in attendance — Ian Pottinger.
Dermody maintained he had said “that’s ridiculous” to someone he did not know at another table, albeit in an aggressive manner.
On Tuesday, the majority of councillors determined the council’s code of conduct had not been materially breached at a special meeting held to discuss the matter.
Councillor Lisa Tou-McNaughton expressed disappointment over the time, money and resources spent.
“It sees us mitigating an alleged comment that is several different versions. I’ve read the information presented numerous times and find there to be an inconsistency in the evidence presented,” she said.
“There are four different versions of what was believed to be heard.”
Councillor Steve Broad said there was potential politicking at play [who would have believed that might happen?] and felt information had been shared and spread which did not need to be passed on.
Cr Andrea de Vries, among those who confirmed Dermody had said “that’s ridiculous”. said how an issue was dealt with mattered as much as the issue itself, and questioned if the council was “content with being liturgist by nature”.
The OneNews report recalls that on February 3, an Invercargill Rugby Park stakeholders meeting was held at the venue’s lounge.
All councillors were invited to attend.
Seventeen days later, council chief executive Michael Day received a code of conduct complaint from councillor Pottinger which said although he had not attended the meeting, he had been made aware of a “d..khead” comment from councillor Bond.
He is reported to have said he had no choice.
Really?
This is the sixth council Code of Conduct investigation since 2020. Pottinger has been directly involved in at least three, primarily in the role of the complainant.
Council staff confirmed during Tuesday’s meeting that the cost of the latest investigation was currently sitting at $33,000 including GST, with one invoice still to come.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for joining the discussion. Breaking Views welcomes respectful contributions that enrich the debate. Please ensure your comments are not defamatory, derogatory or disruptive. We appreciate your cooperation.