Perth Voice Interactive

“I’LL be here to the bitter end,” was the message from lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi as she fended off one call after another to resign at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Perth residents from across the city, not just her demesne, submitted statements to public question time calling on her to stand down.

About half a dozen were read out, while CEO Martin Mileham knocked another couple out on the grounds they weren‘t in the spirit of the local government act.

From Yokine, Mandurah, Northbridge and Crawley the critical queries came, but Ms Scaffidi was resolute: she’d stay until the state administrative tribunal case concluded.

Only one submission gave her some support; it was an attack on deputy James Limnios, querying how he could keep his position if he didn’t support her.

Step aside

During the week Cr Limnios and colleague Jemma Green called for Ms Scaffidi to step aside pending the outcome of the SAT hearing.

At Tuesday night’s meeting the tables were turned as Ms Scaffidi’s allies turned on Cr Limnios, serving up a motion of no confidence on the grounds he hadn’t attended enough events.

Long-time Scaffidi ally Janet Davidson said that of the 90-odd events the deputy lord mayor had been invited to he’d gone to only a third.

A spreadsheet of the events was handed out, catching those outside the Scaffidi camp off-guard.

Cr Green complained of being “ambushed” and Cr Reece Harley asked for time to read it before voting.

Shortly after he noted that on one occasion Cr Limnios was reportedly AWOL, he’d been at another city event, while on another occasion it was his son’s birthday.

Cr Limnios pointed out others were due to a death in the family and his father’s ill-health.

“I’ll call it for what it is — political blindsiding, in my view.

“Completely unacceptable,” Cr Harley said.

Crs Jim Adamos, Janet Davidson, Judy McEvoy, Keith Yong and Ms Scaffidi voted for the no confidence motion, while Crs Lily Chen, Jemma Green, Reece Harley, and James Limnios voted against.

Cr Limnios claimed the vote was “payback” for speaking out agains the lord mayor.

He refused to step down.

“It’s your failings that have led us to this position,” he told the lord mayor, while still claiming to be able to work with her in her professional capacity.

The lord mayor summed up the meeting by telling the audience not to be distracted by the spectacle and that it was “business as usual”.

Cr Harley added “business as usual looks pretty poor to me”.

stories by DAVID BELL