July 19, 2023
South Burnett councillors have adopted a policy to clarify exactly who should represent the SBRC at official events.
At Wednesday’s general meeting, councillors voted unanimously that when the Mayor or Deputy Mayor are unable to attend an official Council activity or function, the relevant Divisional Councillor should be delegated to act on behalf of the Mayor.
And where there is a formal deputation of Council, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or relevant Portfolio or Divisional Councillor would be invited to attend.
The motion was moved by Deputy Mayor Gavin Jones.
The clarification follows the recent visit to Wondai by State Governor Jeannette Young PSM.
Mayor Brett Otto was unavailable to attend the Reserve Forces Day commemoration as his mother was in palliative care; and Cr Jones was not available due to a medical issue in the family.
The Mayor’s wife, Ros Otto, was acknowledged on the day as representing the Mayor despite other councillors being in attendance at the event.
We should be heartened and give our support to this policy adopted by SBRC of who should represent Council at official events in the event of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s absence. The Mayor’s wife is not an elected official. It is quite inappropriate for the Mayor to have his wife to stand in for him when he is not available, as justifiable as his reasons were for non-attendance. The role needs to be filled by a Councillor representative as outlined in the policy, in the absence of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Glad to see the big issues are being discussed at the South Burnett Regional Council. Throw the lot out and start over!