Glen Innes Severn Council has received the resignation of Councillor Troy Arandale, who has stepped down from his position effective today.
Mayor Margot Davis acknowledged Councillor Arandale’s service to the community during his role as Councillor.
“On behalf of Council, I would like to thank Councillor Arandale for his service over almost five years,” Cr Davis said.
“Councillor Arandale served as Deputy Mayor for part of his term and, like all councillors, contributed time and effort to the role in service to the community.”
Although currently on approved leave, Cr Davis said it was important that she publicly acknowledge the resignation in her capacity as Mayor.
No reason has been given for the resignation, and Mr Arandale has been contacted for comment.
Tensions have been high in the small council between Mayor Davis and her supporters, and Arandale, who was a strong supporter of former mayor Rob Banham. Arandale has been seen publicly campaigning against decisions of Council, and resorting to repeated personal attacks on various individuals on social media. The last post on his Facebook Page was inferring Davis purchases illegal cigarettes.
Cr Davis acknowledged that councillors bring a range of views and approaches to the Council table, which is a core feature of local democracy.
“Councillor Arandale’s contribution to Council is appreciated, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” she said.
“I take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to good governance, accountability and respectful leadership.
“This Council remains focused on delivering outcomes for our community and building a stronger, more vibrant future based on integrity, collaboration and long-term strategic direction – even when decisions are hard and/or unpopular,” she said.
Under current legislation and the decision of Council in their first meeting, the NSW Electoral Commission will conduct a countback election to fill the vacancy on Council. The countback process uses the ballot papers from the last ordinary election to determine which unelected candidate is next eligible for the position.
The process involved unelected candidates indicating they wish to be considered in the countback. However, as David Scott has already been elected on a countback to replace former mayor Rob Banham, who controversially quit council after failing to retain the mayoralty, only Anne Vosper and Elena Whetherall remain as potential candidates for the countback election.
Council will provide further updates once the Electoral Commission confirms the timeline.
A minor grammatical change has been made in the 7th paragraph of this story to make it clearer that Troy Arandale had been campaigning against council, not the former mayor Rob Banham, at Mr Banham’s request.
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