A reportedly explosive Extraordinary General Meeting of Moree Plains Shire Council has seen Councillor Kelly James being evicted from the meeting, and ended with the announcement that General Manager Kelvin Tytherleigh will be leaving the role in a matter of weeks.
MPSC confirmed in their public statement that “by mutual agreement General Manager Kelvin Tytherleigh’s engagement with Council will finish early in the new year”. Tytherleigh is less than two years in to his five year contract.
“Mr Tytherleigh has been a passionate advocate for our community and a hardworking and dedicated General Manager,” Moree Plains Shire Mayor Susannah Pearse said.
“We thank Kelvin for his service to our shire and wish him and his wife Anne all the very best for the future.”
“I have genuinely enjoyed working and living here and we have made many lifelong friends,” Mr Tytherleigh said.
“Allowing a new GM to be appointed to coincide with this four-year term of Council will ensure that the team can work together for the entire term.
“I want to particularly thank the Mayors and Councillors, the staff, contractors, and volunteers that all work together to make our community a better place.”
“We look forward to returning to Moree for the opening of the pool and the Mungindi Child Care Centre.”
MPSC will engage an executive recruitment consultant to assist in the selection of the new General Manager. They will be competing with Armidale Regional Council for appropriate talent, with ARC GM James Roncon also headed for the exit sign, using similar language about allowing a new GM to align with the term, and denying his exit had anything to do with the failed rail trail grant.
Poor behaviour of some councillors was again on display, with Kelly James revealing on her Facebook page she was evicted from the meeting.
James was censured in the previous term of council for bullying and harassing a disability advocate in the community, and has frequently disrupted and stormed out of Council meetings when she didn’t get her way.
UPDATE: James has put a motion of no confidence in the freshly elected Mayor over the matter on the notice paper for the upcoming meeting on 12 December. James is seemingly unaware that her actions are only undermining the reputation of the General Manager she claims to support, raising questions as to what has really happened.
Former MPSC Mayor Katrina Humphries is one of many now asking on social media what happened, and criticising the behaviour of councillors.
“As a former Moree Plains Shire Council I am horrified and embarrassed with the behaviour at the Council Chamber,” she wrote.
“As a rate payer I am frustrated with the cost of continual change and how much has been spent in total on paying out GM’s since 2022?”
The narcissistic petulance of James is sadly not unique among New England council leaders. Also on the naughty list this week is Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland, with multiple sultry emails forwarded to various circles and appearing on social media this past week alleging people were fabricating opposition to his plans and demeaning local advocates. His arguably inappropriate communications were joined by an email from GM James Roncon in regards to the rail trail, which has also surfaced on social media, confirming that Council was advised of the loss of the grant funding prior to the election – although claims early September, not August as NEMA claims – but denied he had any involvement in the failure to communicate the electorally relevant information in a timely manner because he was “on leave from early September to early October (climbing mountains in Tanzania)”.
Opposition also continues to bubble in Glen Innes after the spectacular tantrum of Rob Banham who quit Council entirely after failing to win the mayoralty, and Tamworth’s move yesterday to take action on abuse towards council staff believed to be linked to the vitriol of supporters of a particular councillor.
The election of so many new mayors – five of them women – was always certain to create a few waves, but the behaviour of former mayors and defeated challengers, and the sheer viciousness of attacks on people that are barely six weeks into their terms, is unprecedented.
It is also not contained to local chatter, with Pearse routinely being attacked on Sydney radio by 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who has taken to personal attacks against the highly competent new Mayor, spinning minutia from the Council agenda into conspiracy on a regular basis. Given Moree Plains Shire Council is not prompt in the publication of minutes and does not livestream meetings, Fordham’s source can only be within Council itself.
It is unknown at this time if this targeting of Moree Plains Shire by conservative city media, or of Susannah Pearse personally, is related to Mr Tytherliegh’s exit, or Ms James’ outburst.
The continued poor behaviour and sniping is likely to lead many New Englanders to hope that Santa brings a sleigh full of Grow Up Juice for far too many who think themselves leaders.
Top image: Cr Kelly James (L) has moved a motion of no confidence in Mayor Susannah Pearse (R)
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