UPDATE – 6.52pm
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Ararat Rural City Council has received no communications in writing from mayor Glenda McLean despite her telling a Melbourne radio program that she would step down as council leader.
Cr McLean told ABC Drive that she would resign as mayor and would consider her future as a councillor following outcry that she wanted to be a ‘fly in, fly out’ mayor from her new job in north Queensland.
The apparent decision to step down came after six days of pressure to do so from fellow councillors, Ripon MP Louise Staley and hundreds of Ararat Rural City ratepayers.
Deputy mayor Gwenda Allgood said as of 6.30pm, neither Ararat Rural City chief executive Allan Bawden or councillors had received Cr McLean’s resignation in writing.
“It hasn’t actually come across yet,” Cr Allgood said.
Cr Allgood said Mr Bawden had requested Cr McLean state her intentions in writing and she hoped that the resignation, if it did come, would help ease the intense anger felt in the community.
“I think that what people have been concerned about is all the things that have come out in the past few days and at the moment we are waiting to see if Glenda takes in all the comment that have been made,” Cr Allgood said.
“According to today’s radio report that seems to be the case; she really has become aware of how upset people are and I think she has made a responsible decision.”
Cr Allgood said she had not yet spoken to Mr Bawden about whether there would be a statutory meeting if Cr McLean resigned as mayor.
Cr McLean did not answer her phone.
Earlier – 5.45pm: Ararat’s Glenda McLean is stepping down as mayor but her future as a councillor remains unclear.
The controversial Ararat figure, who has been the talk of the town since reports of her moving to Mount Isa in Queensland, told ABC Statewide Drive Victoria late this afternoon she was stepping down but only as mayor.
She is still undecided on whether she’ll resign as councillor or not.
Cr McLean also said she had been paying for flights to and from Mount Isa.
EARLIER: Victoria’s Local Government Minister has urged Ararat Rural City’s mayor to clarify her future intentions after Cr Glenda McLean demanded a meeting before stepping down as council leader.
Cr McLean emailed Ararat Rural City chief executive Allan Bawden on Wednesday afternoon to state she would not quit the council.
Fellow councillors and hundreds of Ararat Rural City residents had been calling for Cr McLean to resign over her proposal to be a ‘fly in, fly out’ mayor due to a new job in north Queensland.
Cr McLean also stated would only consider resigning as mayor if she got to meet with Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz.
“It’s up to the Mayor of Ararat to decide her position but for the sake of the Ararat community we would urge her to do so as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for Kairouz said.
Fairfax Media understands that as of early Thursday afternoon, the Local Government Minister’s office had not received a formal request from Cr McLean to meet with Ms Kairouz.
Ararat Rural City councillors passed a motion of no confidence in Cr McLean as mayor during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
A motion calling on Cr McLean to resign as mayor and a councillor was also passed by four votes to two.
Ripon MP Louise Staley commissioned a phone poll on Wednesday night that asked 400 residents if the state government should sack all Ararat Rural City councillors.
According to Ms Staley, 77 per cent of the respondents said ‘yes’, five per cent said ‘no’ and 18 per cent said they ‘did not know’.