Tweed councillors rally behind GM

Mayor Joan Lieshout wants Tweed Shire Council general manager Mike Rayner off the board for Rally Australia.

Tweed Daily News

TWEED Shire mayor Joan van Lieshout's job is now in jeopardy as other councillors rally behind general manager Mike Rayner over his support for the controversial Repco world championship car rally in September.

This follows revelations of a power struggle involving the mayor and Mr Rayner.

Several councillors yesterday slammed Cr van Lieshout for publicly revealing she wanted Mr Rayner to step down from his extra role on the board of Rally Australia and are furious she has tried to sideline him.

Cr van Lieshout has revealed that while she failed to convince Mr Rayner to resign from the Rally Australia board, she had reached agreement with rally organisers to hold any future negotiations with elected councillors.

Cr Phil Youngblutt said the mayor's 'time is nearly up', with councillors due to hold their annual mayoral vote in September. “If that's what she has done she's overstepped the mark,” Cr Youngblutt said.

“As far as the general manager is concerned with the Repco Rally he hasn't done anything wrong. He has done a bloody good job.”

Cr Youngblutt said Cr van Lieshout had failed to recognise that, as mayor, she should be the one who 'represents the councillors, not the one who leads us'.

Cr Warren Polglase said the mayor had 'overstepped her authority'.

“Whatever support she had from elected councillors she has no longer,” he said. “She is way out of line. I've never seen such a dysfunctional council in all my 28 years in local government. As far as I'm concerned Mike Rayner has done everything to encourage and promote the Tweed.”

Cr Polglase said the mayor had no authority to ask rally organisers to deal only with elected councillors 'because council has not resolved that'.

“These things are very serious matters,” he said.