Councillors Mark Arians and Sonia Wright resigned on February 3, alleging council had become a “self-preservation society”.
As the next council elections were more than six months away, the Victorian Electoral Commission announced it would count back the votes polled at the 2016 elections.
Andrew Gibbs, who was in heated debate with Gannawarra Shire Council regarding the Cohuna Aerodrome redevelopment and spoke at a public rally petitioning council to support the development, has been appointed as a replacement for Ms Wright.
“Regardless of the short term remaining, I feel it is the appropriate action to accept the spot to honour the support received at the election three years before,” Cr Gibbs said.
“I have many concerns about the behaviour and more so lack of ethical and transparent practice, misuse of resources for personal vendettas that have gone on at Gannawarra these last few years.
“It shows a blatant lack of respect to the ratepayers and goes to create much damage to the institution itself.
“However, I have never been a person to shoot from the side and then run. It is my expectation of myself and of the other councillors remaining that the voice of the community and its disdain for the practices gone on are the drivers behind council rising up to a platform of democratic good governance.
“I will always put the best interest of the shire above my own personal will or wishes.
“It is imperative that all seven of us uphold that task of ethical and respectful debate without failure or personal malice to honour the trust the ratepayers extended to all of us in the first place.”
Cr Gibbs also announced that he had stood down as a lobbyist and “taken action to pass on client files” to ensure his conduct could not be brought into question.
Jenny Fawcett filled the vacancy left by Mr Arians.
“Congratulations to Cr Fawcett and Cr Gibbs for accepting the role of being a councillor and representing Gannawarra,” Mayor Lorraine Learmonth said.
“Thanks to Cr Fawcett and Cr Gibbs accepting these roles, residents in the Patchell and Yarran wards can be assured that they are now represented in the chamber by the correct number of councillors.
“Council thanks the Victorian Electoral Commission for managing the process of filling the vacancies left by the resignation of the two former councillors, as well as the community’s patience while these positions were filled.”
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