Council call to investigate town clerk

Press, 28 November 1980, Page 4

Council call to investigate town clerk

i PA Wellington The Porirua City Council will ask the Ombudsman to investigate matters surrounding the appointment of its new Town Clerk, a former Lower Hutt City councillor. Mr J. Seddon. Mr Seddon, a Labour member of the Hutt Council was appointed Town Clerk amid a storm of argument at the end of the last local body triennium. Allegations were made that it was a Labour group “jack up” because Labour counicllors held dominance on the Porirua City Council at the time. This was denied. Mr Seddon's appointment was eventually confirmed, and he has been working as Town Clerk for about two months. At Wednesday evening’s Porirua City Council meeting, and Independent, Cr W. Marshall called for ratification of Mr Seddon’s appointment The Town Clerk needed a clear mandate of support from the council if he was to work properly, Cr Marshall said.

‘‘The matter cannot just

be swept under the carpet,” he said. Labour's Cr T. Jones told the council that if someone had the idea of asking the Town Clerk to resign or the council to dismiss him, they should “come out and say it” The Mayor of Porirua (Mr W. Brown) said that the Ombudsman had not confirmed whether he was carrying out an investigation into the appointment. The Ombudsman has been approached by another group of Porirua people and is believed to have sought more information from them but not to have actually confirmed that he will look into the matter.

The voting on referring the matter to the Ombudsman was 8-6.

In favour were the Mayor, Crs M. Arnold Smith, J. Bennett, I. Hardgraves, W. Herewini, R. Willing, and W. Marshall.

Against were the Labour representatives Crs E. McKenzie. T. James, M. Brown, and S. Meredith and the Independents, Crs. M. Goodman and A. Mexted.