Probe into mayor vote

By Melissa Meehan
THE City of Greater Dandenong could face a Brimbank style investigation following preliminary inquiries from the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate over the 2007/08 mayoral election.
In the election three councillors and Labor Party members Alan Gordon, Maria Sampey and Sue Walton successfully supported councillor John Kelly, a former Liberal Party member, for the top job.
All three have since claimed interference from South Eastern Metropolitan Region Labor MP Adem Somyurek concerning the election. While all councillors were given the opportunity to comment on the investigations by the Star, most said they were forbidden to speak.
But councillor Sampey said she was willing to talk about the investigation, which began this week.
“I didn’t like the way the ALP dominated councillors’ vote for mayor,” she said.
“So I asked Sue and Alan, who were going to vote for me, to vote for John.
“That’s where the problems started.”
Cr Sampey said that once Cr Kelly won the top job, all three councillors who voted for him were kicked out of the Labor Party.
After being made aware of the complaints, Opposition spokeswoman for local government Jeanette Powell said she wrote to the Ombudsman in August asking that he investigate the allegations made about Mr Somyurek.
She said a report by the new inspectorate had begun in the meantime.
“I strongly support the investigation,” she said.
“It is important that local government is accountable to the community, this cannot be done if the vote for mayor is not without interference.” Ratepayers Victoria president Jack Davis said he was not surprised by the decision to investigate the City of Greater Dandenong.
“But it is a case of the accused judging the accused,” he said.
“We will watch with interest to note the outcome.”
All councillors are expected to be interviewed by the end of the week.
Cr Sampey alleged the council had offered a legal representative to attend the meeting with councillors who felt it was necessary.
“Why should ratepayers have to pay for legal representation?” she asked.
“When this is done I will be asking that the information is put up on the website as outlined in the ATA reform charter.”
She said councillors were also asked to bring their phone bills and other records to the interview.
“We need to stop political interference in council,” she said. “I just hope it’s not a Clayton’s investigation.”
City of Greater Dandenong chief executive officer John Bennie confirmed that the council was responding to preliminary inquiries but said further comment would be prejudicial to those inquiries.