Whangarei council CEO under fire

Whangarei District Councillor Crichton Christie wants an explanation over how the council's chief executive Mark Simpson botched the sacking of a staff member. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Whangarei District Council chief executive Mark Simpson should be asked to explain to his employer how he botched the sacking of his personal assistant, an outspoken district councillor said.

Cr Crichton Christie said an Employment Relations Authority decision last week, which found Mr Simpson in the wrong over his sacking of his PA Jan Walters-Gleeson, merely reiterated his comments before last year's council election that the work of a review committee that cleared the chief executive was a "whitewash".

Mrs Walters-Gleeson was fired by Mr Simpson in September last year after she signed mayoral candidate Stan Semenoff's election nomination form.

She lodged a claim for unfair dismissal with the ERA, which has ruled she was unfairly dismissed and should be awarded more than $37,000 in lost wages and compensation. The ERA found Mr Simpson left himself open to bias criticism; made an untrue statement; conducted a "sham" interview and used double standards during the dismissal process.

Mr Christie lamented the use of hard-earned ratepayers' money to pay expensive legal costs as a result of bad judgment calls by Mr Simpson.

This time last year, Mr Christie wrote to the then Local Government Minister Chris Tremain and asked him to institute an independent inquiry into circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Mrs Walters-Gleeson.

"A review committee should examine his actions now because what happened didn't stack up, always seemed unjust and not logical ... all that I've said previously when they had that review which was a whitewash have proven to be correct," he said.

"That lack of judgment [by Mr Simpson] has cost us, and it's the ratepayers we're talking here, tens of thousands of dollars - money that could have been used for a lot of council projects."

Mr Christie hopes the council doesn't appeal the ERA's decision as that will mean more money going into lawyers' pockets.

"The council should look at this judgment and consider its next process which is to go to the review committee."

The council has declined to comment on whether the councillors, Mayor Sheryl Mai or Mr Simpson would decide if an appeal should be lodged.

Local Government Minister Paula Bennett wouldn't intervene in the matter.

"Under the local Government Act, I can only intervene as minister when a significant problem arises that a local authority cannot deal with. This matter is being dealt with through the Employment Court which is the most appropriate mechanism for employment disputes. The performance of the CEO is a matter for the council to consider," she said.