RNZ left little room for wondering about Dunedin city councillor Benedict Wong’s suspension from all committees and subcommittees for nine months “because of concerns about his behaviour”.
Wong faced a code of conduct complaint after revealing details about a potential hotel development at Forsyth Barr Stadium to reporters in April.
A preliminary assessment report found it appeared likely he was deliberately and repeatedly leaking information that could potentially jeopardise the council’s commercial interests.
The Dunedin City Council held a public-excluded meeting to discuss the complaint on Monday afternoon.
Mayor Sophie Barker said the suspension was a result of councillors accepting the findings of a code of conduct report by independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg.
“While he is now barred from participating in committees and subcommittees, I need to be very clear that this does not prevent him from attending and participating in full council meetings, whether they are held in public or non-public. Any statement to the contrary misrepresents what has been decided today.
“It is hugely frustrating that councillor Ong’s behaviour is distracting from the great work that is underway in the city. I would once again urge councillor Ong to review his recent conduct and to live up to the oath he swore upon becoming a councillor, or to consider resigning.”
The public might be left in the dark about committee meeting goings-on henceforth, but they have a good understanding about why Wong is on the outer.
More puzzling was the reasons for Wellington Councillor Ray Chung stepping down as chair of Wellington City Council’s Ngā Toki Whakahaere | Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) Review and Appointments Subcommittee.
He is no longer a member of that subcommittee.
RNZ reported:
On Monday, the council said Chung would no longer chair of the Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) Subcommittee nor a member of that subcommittee.
The sub-committee is responsible for reviewing the performance of council-controlled organisations
And the reason?.
“I have decided to stand down from this subcommittee to focus my attention on constituents within my ward,” said Chung, who is a Wharangi/Onslow-Western ward councillor
That’s akin to the press statement which announces a company big-wig has resigned “to explore other opportunities”.
Mayor Andrew Little said he had accepted Chung’s resignation and has appointed councillor Rebecca Matthews to chair the subcommittee.
Matthews said she was looking forward to the role.
“The subcommittee does important work ensuring council-controlled organisations deliver for residents and users. From the zoo, to the cable car, to Zealandia and more, our council-controlled organisations are part of what makes Pōneke Wellington wonderful.”
A spokesperson from mayor Andrew Little’s office declined to comment further on Chung’s resignation.
PoO looked for other explanations for Chung’s resignation in The Post.
But its report was much the same as the reports from RNZ and OneNews, which basically regurgitated the contents of a council press release.
The New Zealand Herald added a teasing bit more.
It noted:
The resignation comes three weeks after Little said he was considering what steps, if any, to take after being contacted by a senior police officer about Chung’s conduct during Wellington’s severe weather state of emergency last month.
And:
The Herald understands the resignation relates to Chung’s actions around the search for missing Karori man Philip Sutton. Sutton’s body was later
Neither Little nor police have publicly detailed what the conduct related to.
But Little previously had acknowledged he had been contacted by Police Inspector Dean Silvester about Chung, and:
“If I get notified by a senior police officer of the conduct of a councillor, I’ve got to take that seriously.
“I am and I’m in the process of considering what steps, if any, are taken,” the mayor said three weeks ago.
The Herald says it understands Chung’s interactions with the officer in charge and his attendance at the search location formed part of the concerns raised with the mayor.
This leaves us to conjecture that Chung’s resignation is related to the search and his relations with the police.
Whatever actually happened is a mystery.
Down south, Cr Wong’s urge for transparency leaves the Dunedin public much better informed about the reasons for his being disciplined.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
The Dunedin City Council held a public-excluded meeting to discuss the complaint on Monday afternoon.
Mayor Sophie Barker said the suspension was a result of councillors accepting the findings of a code of conduct report by independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg.
“While he is now barred from participating in committees and subcommittees, I need to be very clear that this does not prevent him from attending and participating in full council meetings, whether they are held in public or non-public. Any statement to the contrary misrepresents what has been decided today.
“It is hugely frustrating that councillor Ong’s behaviour is distracting from the great work that is underway in the city. I would once again urge councillor Ong to review his recent conduct and to live up to the oath he swore upon becoming a councillor, or to consider resigning.”
The public might be left in the dark about committee meeting goings-on henceforth, but they have a good understanding about why Wong is on the outer.
More puzzling was the reasons for Wellington Councillor Ray Chung stepping down as chair of Wellington City Council’s Ngā Toki Whakahaere | Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) Review and Appointments Subcommittee.
He is no longer a member of that subcommittee.
RNZ reported:
On Monday, the council said Chung would no longer chair of the Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) Subcommittee nor a member of that subcommittee.
The sub-committee is responsible for reviewing the performance of council-controlled organisations
And the reason?.
“I have decided to stand down from this subcommittee to focus my attention on constituents within my ward,” said Chung, who is a Wharangi/Onslow-Western ward councillor
That’s akin to the press statement which announces a company big-wig has resigned “to explore other opportunities”.
Mayor Andrew Little said he had accepted Chung’s resignation and has appointed councillor Rebecca Matthews to chair the subcommittee.
Matthews said she was looking forward to the role.
“The subcommittee does important work ensuring council-controlled organisations deliver for residents and users. From the zoo, to the cable car, to Zealandia and more, our council-controlled organisations are part of what makes Pōneke Wellington wonderful.”
A spokesperson from mayor Andrew Little’s office declined to comment further on Chung’s resignation.
PoO looked for other explanations for Chung’s resignation in The Post.
But its report was much the same as the reports from RNZ and OneNews, which basically regurgitated the contents of a council press release.
The New Zealand Herald added a teasing bit more.
It noted:
The resignation comes three weeks after Little said he was considering what steps, if any, to take after being contacted by a senior police officer about Chung’s conduct during Wellington’s severe weather state of emergency last month.
And:
The Herald understands the resignation relates to Chung’s actions around the search for missing Karori man Philip Sutton. Sutton’s body was later
Neither Little nor police have publicly detailed what the conduct related to.
But Little previously had acknowledged he had been contacted by Police Inspector Dean Silvester about Chung, and:
“If I get notified by a senior police officer of the conduct of a councillor, I’ve got to take that seriously.
“I am and I’m in the process of considering what steps, if any, are taken,” the mayor said three weeks ago.
The Herald says it understands Chung’s interactions with the officer in charge and his attendance at the search location formed part of the concerns raised with the mayor.
This leaves us to conjecture that Chung’s resignation is related to the search and his relations with the police.
Whatever actually happened is a mystery.
Down south, Cr Wong’s urge for transparency leaves the Dunedin public much better informed about the reasons for his being disciplined.
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.