Shire of Carnarvon mayor Eddie Smith and five councillors quit, causing confusion, chaos and no decisions

Carnarvon’s mayor and a majority of his council have sensationally quit in a matter of days, leaving the shire without a decision-making system and on the cusp of State Government intervention. Confirmation of Eddie Smith’s resignation last Friday, followed by councillors Paul Kelly, Marco Ferreirinha, Mark Young, Luke Skender and Mem Beard, comes less than a week after the council held a confidential meeting to discuss the need to appoint an external investigator. The bulk departure has left just two remaining elected members – deputy Shire President Burke Maslen and his father, Dudley Maslen — well short of the required number to make formal decisions or even continue to hold regular council meetings. It has not been made public whether the council voted to appoint the investigator or not last Wednesday, nor who was to be investigated. The notice insisting confidentiality said the matter had to be private because it related to the recruitment or employment of the CEO or a senior employee. Earlier, Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley’s office said she was monitoring the “developing situation”. Mr Smith had served on the Carnarvon council for 20 years. He was front and centre of the town’s recovery mission after Cyclone Narelle brought widespread flooding and destroyed much of the region’s famed plantations. But why he and the five councillors resigned won’t be made public, the Shire of Carnarvon said in a statement. “We understand this is an unusual situation and that the community will have questions,” the statement read. “The Shire has formally notified the Minister for Local Government and is working with the Department to confirm next steps under the Local Government Act. “Importantly, all essential services and day-to-day operations continue as normal under the leadership of the CEO and Shire staff.” In February last year, Carnarvon’s council passed a vote of no-confidence against both the State and Federal Governments’ handling of vulnerable children amid rising crime rates. Ms Beazley sacked two local councils last year, Nedlands and Port Hedland, after mass resignations and dysfunction - triggering special elections. Local Government inspector Tony Brown, who started the new role in January, has moved swiftly to appoint monitors to investigate the City of Perth, South Perth, Port Hedland and Nedlands and Serpentine-Jarrahdale.