Burnie mayor Teeny Brumby has declared she is “not going anywhere” after surviving a no-confidence motion at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Councillor Ken Dorsey had accused the chamber of fostering a toxic workplace culture and called for Brumby to step down as mayor, while remaining on as a councillor.
Dorsey pointed to what he described as two-and-a-half years of bad behaviour that culminated in inappropriate scenes at June’s council session.
“In any workplace in Australia, the behaviours we saw wouldn’t be tolerated and why they are here, in a civic workplace, on camera, in front of a public gallery, is beyond me,” he said.
“This isn’t about one bad meeting. It’s [the] ongoing toxicity in this council.”
The motion, seconded by councillor Trent Aitken, failed to pass, with councillors Brumby, Alvwyn Boyd and Amina Keygan voting against it.
Councillors David Pease, Trent Aitken, Justin Grave, Chris Lynch and Dorsey all abstained, while Giovanna Simpson was absent due to travel delays.
Dorsey told the chamber he never expected Brumby to resign, but hoped the move would prompt others to “sit up and recognise” that things must change.
Brumby responded by calling for a reset. “Let us put the turbulence behind us,” she said.
“Let us resolve to treat each other with respect, even when we disagree and to foster an environment where ideas can be debated vigorously but civilly.”
“We were elected to serve the people and they deserve a council that works together.”
