The Whittlesea Mayor, councillor Aidan McLindon, may have breached the ‘Model Councillor Code of Conduct’ it was recently stated at an unscheduled Whittlesea City Council meeting.
The meeting was closed to the public and journalists, with only three minutes open to the public for scrutiny.
The meeting was held at the council’s South Morang headquarters. According to original inaccurate media reports, Mayor McLindon did not attend and issued an apology.
However, Mayor McLindon was present as the minutes of the meeting state: “The Chair, Cr McLindon sought a motion to re-open the meeting.”
Councillor McLindon previously announced he would temporarily stand aside whilst standing as a candidate in the Victorian state by-election for the seat of Werribee.
Draft minutes of the meeting suggest Cr McLindon suggested that: “Believe the Mayor, Cr McLindon has on more than one occasion allegedly breached clauses 1 (a), 1 (b), 1 (e)(ii), 2 (1)(a), 2 (1)(b), 2 (1)(a), 2 (1)(c), 2 (1)(d), 2 (1)(e), 2 (2)(a), 3 (b)(iii) and 4 (1)(a), of the Model Councillor Code of Conduct (Appendix 1), including the Election Period Policy (Appendix 2), clauses 3.1.1, 4, 5.1.1, 9.1.2 and 10.3 leading up to and during his candidacy for the Werribee District by-election.”
The minutes of the unscheduled meeting will not be approved (or otherwise) and remain ‘unconfirmed’ until the next council meeting on Tuesday, February 18.
Whittlesea City Council and Mayor McLindon have been contacted for comment.
