It was an insulting and at times embarrassing and cringeworthy debate that led to the election of Maitland’s newest deputy mayor.
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Maitland councillors argued at length this week about whether or not to elect a mayoral backstop with the possibility of a Dungog merger looming.
Cr Ken Wethered scored the title by one vote and took the reins from Cr Bob Geoghegan.
Councillors were given two options regarding the election at this week’s meeting. The first, to defer the election until after the State Government’s council merger announcement, or to go ahead with an election.
In a move that clearly rocked Mayor Peter Blackmore, Cr Henry Meskauskas successfully moved to hold an election.
He said the merger announcement could be months away and electing a new deputy would give one of the councillors, who had never held the position, the opportunity to have a go.
During debate on the merger and the possibility of a short-deputy mayor term, Cr Peter Garnham said Cr Meskauskas was no stranger to short stints in the top job.
“He has had the experience of being sacked as the former mayor,” Cr Garnham said.
Cr Meskauskas was elected the city’s mayor just weeks before the council was sacked in 1997 and earned the title of Maitland’s shortest-lived mayor.
Cr Robert Aitchison said if the merger waiting game continued for another three to four months, council should think about a vote.
General manager David Evans said a merger announcement date was unknown.
He said there were a number of court cases relating to Sydney councils and the government was dealing with amalgamations in sequence.
Cr Brian Burke said electing a deputy mayor could make the council look stupid when a decision could be handed down tomorrow.
Cr Meskauskas said council should make its own rules and make a call to “give someone else a turn”.
“And I wasn’t sacked by the administrator, other people were,” he said.
Cr Meskauskas’ motion was carried seven votes to six.
Cr Wethered accepted his nomination and was elected unopposed.
The mayor described the vote as mischievous.
“I’m ashamed of you the way you carried on grinning like Cheshire cats,” he said.
The mayor refused to comment after the meeting.
