KINGSTON Council has appointed an interim CEO.
Councillors agreed to appoint Tim Tamlin to the top job at a meeting last week. He will begin on 29 March, and act in the role until 31 October.
Mr Tamlin was the CEO at South Gippsland Shire between 2009 and 2019. He departed the organisation shortly before all South Gippsland councillors were sacked by the state government.
Kingston mayor Steve Staikos said Mr Tamlin’s “strong leadership experience would help guide the City of Kingston while recruitment for the ongoing CEO position took place.”
“We believe Mr Tamlin will provide stability to ensure we continue providing high-quality services, invest in new facilities and support our business community during COVID-recovery,” Cr Staikos said.
Mr Tamlin said “I look forward to working closely with Kingston councillors, staff and the community to set a steady course for the council term.”
An inquiry into the South Gippsland Shire found that “a high level of discord, conflict and tension between the councillors had negatively impacted on the council’s performance, the councillors’ decision-making, councillor-staff relationships and council’s reputation,” the state government said in a statement after sacking the council in June 2019.
Mr Tamlin takes over the Kingston CEO duties from Paul Franklin. Mr Franklin had been in the role in an acting capacity since January after the departure of former CEO Julie Reid.
Ms Reid left with more than two years to run on her contract, and was not paid out (“Ex-CEO made an early exit”, The News, 20/1/2021).
A five month extension to Mr Tamlin’s contract can be exercised at council’s discretion, subject to a further resolution.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 24 March 2021