'Malicious' petition to remove Gore council's interim chief executive rejected by council

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

Gore District Council’s interim chief executive Stephen Parry at the council meeting.

Gore District Council interim chief executive Stephen Parry has survived another bid to have him removed from his job at an emotionally charged meeting on Tuesday.

The council met, again with security measures in place outside the building, to consider a petition calling for Parry’s removal as interim chief executive. Parry resigned as the council’s chief executive in September but councillors voted nine to three to offer him the interim role last month as the council began the recruitment process.

As petition organiser Hayden McIntyre stood up to address councillors, Cr Glenys Dickson moved that he could not speak because the appointment of Parry was an employment issue, and it was not allowed under the council’s standing orders.

Caught by surprise, mayor Ben Bell reluctantly opened the motion for debate.

No-one spoke, and Bell said he had been ‘’caught off guard’’ by the move.

Hayden McIntyre was ready to present his petition but was not allowed to speak at the council meeting.

Cr Robert McKenzie told councillors that while he agreed it was an employment issue, and they probably knew the result of the petition already, he believed people had the right to speak.

Cr Neville Phillips then moved that the mayor and councillors did not receive the petition.

The petition and its supporters were described as ‘’divisive, unwelcome and an unwelcome distraction’’ by deputy mayor Keith Hovell, who had prepared a written speech in which he took aim at former councillor Sally McIntyre.

He said McIntryre and her family ‘’bombarded’’ him with inappropriate emails, and he read one to the council which called on he and fellow councillors to resign.

Hovell said if he continued to receive the emails he would ask the IT manager to block her. He said her emails prevented him from doing the work he was elected to the council to do.

The appointment of Parry as interim chief executive provided continuity, gave a seamless transition to the appointment of a new CEO, and the council had a legal and moral responsibility to have a senior management team in place, Hovell said.

Cr Bronwyn Reid said she concurred with Hovell, and stated the petition was ‘’malicious’’ and intended to distress staff and elected members.

Cr Richard McPhail said the council needed stability.

Gore district councillor Glenys Dickson moved that petition organiser Hayden McIntyre could not speak because the appointment of Parry was an employment issue.

“We are members of the community and we do not deserve the abuse we get,’’ he said.

“We need to stop looking in the rearview mirror at what has happened in the past’’.

The motion to not accept the petition was passed,but Cr McKenzie voted against it and Bell abstained.

As they left, one member of the public in the gallery yelled out: ‘’who pays your wages?’’ And one was later approached by a council staff member outside the building as he gave councillors ‘the finger’ as he left.

A report from Parry about the petition which was included in the agenda said it contained a total of 313 signatories, with 18 being invalid due to having an address outside of the Gore district. The report recommended that the petition be received.

In October deputy mayor Keith Hovell issued a press release which said the appointment of Parry as interim chief executive was a business decision.

The petition was the second to be tabled this year calling for Parry’s resignation.

In May, the council was presented with an online petition with nearly 5000 signatures calling for his resignation, which it voted not to receive.

Parry has been in the headlines this year amid claims of bullying former council staff members, and has been embroiled in controversy around the breakdown of his working relationship with mayor Ben Bell.