Cr Mayne

Councillors who got into trouble


December 2, 2018

This list tracks councillors from across Australia who got into some sort of strife.

Adam Atmaca: the Hume Labor councillor suffered a misconduct finding from the Victorian Ombudsman in early 2011 after being found to have an inappropriate business and personal relationship with a land holder who wanted a less restrictive outcome from a planning application. The councillor directly confronted the planning director to complain about the conditions on the permit.

Fred Chuah: the former Manningham deputy mayor was found guilty of misconduct in late 2010 by an independent panel which examined the controversy surrounding the proposed expansion of the On Luck Chinese Nursing Home which he chairs in the Green Wedge Zone. He resigned shortly after, citing poor health, but appealed the findings at VCAT.

Belinda Clarkson: facing 14 charges of breaching Nillumbik's code of conduct in a VCAT hearing in early 2011.

Michael Crutchfield: teacher, fire-fighter and one-time Mayor of Geelong, who lost his cool with a stone-throwing kid on a quiet street in the mid-1990s and punched him out.

George Droutsas: the ALP mayor in the City of Whitehorse and Bracks government staffer was accused of running dummy candidates in the 2005 election but was cleared of any wrongdoing despite one candidate professing not to knowing they were running until contacted by a local newspaper.

John Kenny: Charged with having s-x with a 15-year-old whom he picked up on a chat line, but stayed on Randwick City Council so his vote could be used to keep the Green/Liberal coalition together.

Brad Matheson: the former Hobsons Bay mayor and MAV President came a cropper over sending emails masquarading as a punter about political rivals. Also embarrassed by this story in The Age about writing electoral submissions for his 10 year old child.

Bill Ronald: The then councillor from Cardinia Shire Council in Melbourne's south was filmed assaulting CEO Don Welsh and was then returned with an increased majority and became mayor.

Adam Spagnolo: The Stirling councillor in WA was found guilty of tampering with postal votes.

Natalie Suleyman: The Brimbank Mayor in Melbourne's West could not see the conflict of interest in allowing her father's community group to have a council building rent free for four years, when all it was being used for was for members to play cards.

Kevin Walsh:
Greater Dandenong City Council reprimanded its then Mayor after he admitted to using the council's computer network to visit sexually explicit websites.