Three former mayors of a northern Sydney council have criticised the move to sack a long-serving general manager, accusing the area’s state Liberal MP of undue influence amid community concerns about instability caused by the decision.
Ku-ring-gai Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to vote on a motion to nullify an August 15 decision to end general manager John McKee’s employment, less than two years after a previous attempt to remove him.
Ku-ring-gai general manager John McKee is embroiled in a dispute over his employment.Credit: Ku-ring-gai Council
Although Ku-ring-gai councillors are elected as independents, Liberal Party connections among some of those supporting McKee’s removal have led other councillors and community groups to question if it was motivated by jostling ahead of this month’s mayoral vote.
McKee told The Sun-Herald last month he did not know councillors planned to terminate his employment.
In a statement, former Ku-ring-gai mayors Cheryl Szatow, Elaine Malicki and Jennifer Anderson said they supported McKee. The trio led the council for 15 years while McKee was general manager.
Former mayors Elaine Malicki, Jennifer Anderson and Cheryl Szatow have spoken out about the sacking ofKu-ring-gai Council’s general manager. Credit: Ku-ring-gai Council/Facebook
“During that time none of us had any reason to doubt John’s loyalty, commitment or professionalism and we observed his consistent popularity and wise leadership of staff,” they said, noting most of the six councillors who voted to remove McKee only joined the council in 2021.
“As former leaders of Ku-ring-gai we suggest this council’s lack of experience has led them to sack an excellent general manager, and we support the rescission motion to have him reinstated.”
The three former mayors were also concerned about a congratulatory text message allegedly sent by Wahroonga Liberal MP Alister Henskens to councillors the morning after the vote to sack the general manager, which has circulated in the weeks since.
Local member Alister Henskens allegedly sent a congratulatory message to the councillors who voted to sack the general manager. Credit: Louise Kennerley
“I hope you are now able to recruit a visionary leader who is able to build a better local community and its infrastructure, change the staff culture to one of serving our community and build staff respect for the decision making authority of all of the elected representatives (not just the mayor) on all issues,” the text reads.
The former mayors noted they were “alarmed at the speed of the local member’s congratulatory messages to those doing the sacking as we are all aware of the inclination of many MPs to become too involved in local government”.
Henskens had previously been critical of Ku-ring-gai Council, which the former state government abandoned plans to merge with neighbouring Hornsby in 2017 following a court battle. He called the council “dysfunctional” in a 2021 speech to parliament ahead of council elections.
The former state government had considered intervening in the council earlier that year when a decision by then-mayor Cedric Spencer, president of the Liberals Warrawee branch, to review McKee’s performance prompted half of the councillors to boycott meetings.
Henskens did not respond to questions about whether he sent the text message last month. He denied having prior knowledge of the resolution before the meeting.
“I first found out about any resolution to remove the general manager of the council on the morning after the resolution was passed by a majority of the councillors,” he said in a statement.
“The employment of the general manager is a governance issue which falls solely within the responsibility of the elected councillors.”
Councillor Greg Taylor, an environment-focused independent who moved the motion to end McKee’s contract, denied there had been any involvement by the Liberal Party or Henskens.
Livestream footage of the meeting showed Spencer – who did not vote for the motion – shaking Taylor’s hand after the meeting ended.
Spencer – now a councillor after losing the 2022 mayoral election to Jeff Pettett – rejected suggestions the footage showed his endorsement or prior knowledge of it.
“If I was involved in reviewing the general manager’s contract, my name would be up there,” he said.
Councillor Martin Smith, who brought the rescission motion, said McKee was a victim of jostling over the mayoral vote on September 19.
The six councillors who voted for McKee’s removal included president of the Liberals’ Killara Branch, Simon Lennon, and members of the party’s women’s council executive, Barbara Ward and Christine Kay. All did not respond to requests for comment.
“Ultimately, what I am trying to do is give these councillors an opportunity to revisit a poor decision on their part. This decision was not driven by the community, this was driven by self-interest,” Smith said.
Smith said he had also raised the contract renewal as urgent business with the council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee.
“I am greatly concerned with the lasting effects on our organisation of this radical decision that took place,” he said. “How will we attract any new general manager wanting to come into a political storm?”
Tuesday night’s meeting will be held immediately after a public forum, with local groups expected to attend to protest McKee’s removal.
In a letter to councillors, president of the Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment (FOKE) Kathy Cowley called for McKee to be reinstated, expressing concern about instability as council considered requests from NSW Planning to reclassify areas for high-density housing.
”FOKE expresses its utmost disappointment that some councillors may be acting in their own personal and political interests and not considering the consequences of losing an experienced general manager,” Cowley wrote.
An email to councillors from the executive of Lindfield Football Club, which has more than 2000 members, asked for a reason for the decision.
“We are concerned at the suggestion that the decision might be connected to the mayoral vote at the September council meeting but even more so that sacking a general manager with no apparent interim plans in place will increase instability at council,” the email read.
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