By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong’s long-running chief executive John Bennie is set to bow out before the end of the year.
Mr Bennie, whose current contract expires on 31 July, has called time after serving as CEO since 2006.
He is seeking a further four months to exit on 30 November.
On Monday 23 May, councillors will decide on whether to endorse the short-term re-appointment.
The extended tenure would provide “advancement and finalisation of specific matters”, according to a council report.
Mayor Jim Memeti said Mr Bennie’s touted exit date was a “nice, clean cut” – allowing him to continue lobbying political parties in the lead-up to the November state election.
It also coincided with the start of the next mayoral term.
“He’ll have enormous support in the next four months. We would have loved him to stay on for longer.”
Cr Memeti described Mr Bennie as a “fantastic CEO” – a “really honest, hard-working and caring person” who was “going out on his own terms”.
“Greater Dandenong City Council is probably one of the best-run councils in the state of Victoria.
“People want to come to Greater Dandenong to work here because it has such a good name and that’s because of John Bennie’s leadership.”
Under Mr Bennie’s tenure, Greater Dandenong had been invigorated with “big projects” such as the Dandenong Library and Civic centre, Springvale Community Hub, NPAC and Dandenong Market revamp, Cr Memeti said.
“He is well respected by people in local government.”
Cr Memeti denied that the timing was linked to unfinished business with I Cook Foods.
In the three-year battle also known as ‘slug gate’, ICF has launched a Supreme Court civil action against the council and Victoria’s Department of Health.
The Dandenong South commercial caterer claims that it was wrongfully and corruptly shut down in the midst of an investigation into an elderly hospital patient’s death with listeria.
Among its allegations was that a council inspector planted a slug on the ICF’s factory floor.
“That matter’s before the court so he can’t do anything with that,” Cr Memeti said.
“We don’t know if the case is going to drag on into next year, anyway.”
Mr Bennie had been “cleared by two Parliamentary inquiries and two police investigations” into the ICF matter.
During the inquiries, Mr Bennie outlined how he handled his conflict of interest – as a director of ICF’s rival Community Chef at the time of the closure.
Councillor Rhonda Garad said the four-month extension was “all about the ICF court case”.
But it was “pointless” due to not knowing how long the court case will “drag on for”.
Cr Garad said Mr Bennie provided “really solid leadership” but “the community say they feel very locked-out of decision making”.
“I hope we find (a replacement) who is really community focused and who will face the enormous challenges of climate (change) for councils.
“We’ll be looking for somebody who is about open and transparent leadership, someone who is willing to actively encourage communities to actively participate in civic issues.”
The council’s CEO Employment and Renumeration Committee will nominate Mr Bennie’s successor, with the help of an external recruitment agency.
Mr Bennie was last re-appointed by councillors in December 2019.
The qualified civil engineer has also held many executive roles, including chair of Southern Melbourne Regional Development Australia Committee, and president of Local Government Professionals in Victoria.
He was awarded the Public Service Medal for “outstanding public service” in the 2014 Australia Day Honours List.
