Councillors voted down a motion on Tuesday night which called for City of Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas to resign.
The motion came after an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found Mr Tsirekas to be engaged in corrupt conduct by allegedly granting a developer preferential treatment in exchange for luxury trips overseas.
Mr Tsirekas was suspended four weeks ago by NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig but does not intend to quit. Mr Hoenig can fire him but is still determining his fate.
During a council meeting on Tuesday night, the motion calling for Mr Tsirekas’ resignation was put forward by Councillor Andrew Ferguson. It was voted down by other councillors, prompting insults from the public gallery.
According to ABC News, Councillor Michael Megna, who did not support the motion, successfully moved to amend the motion to instead write to Mr Hoenig asking him to expedite his decision, as councils can’t remove elected officials from civic office.
A spokesperson for Mr Hoenig said he couldn’t respond until receiving the correspondence from Mr Tsirekas’ solicitors.
Mr Tsirekas’ solicitors will lodge a review of ICAC’s findings in the Supreme Court this week and argue no further action should be taken until its judgement is handed down.
Source: ABC News.
