A CONFLICT between two Frankston councillors has been assessed by a councillor conduct panel.
Steven Hughes applied for a councillor conduct panel earlier this year, alleging that former mayor Kris Bolam had bullied him. The panel rejected the allegations and dismissed the application.
Hughes made nine allegations against Bolam. He claimed that Bolam had phoned him demanding the removal of his social media posts, humiliated him during a speech at a public council meeting, brought disrepute onto him in quotes provided to the Frankston Times about a failed rate cut proposal, and muted him during a public Zoom meeting.
The panel decision published last week read that Bolam’s actions “were consistent with the role and functions required of him in his capacity as mayor, and that none of his conduct during [November 2020 to August 2021] fell within the definition of bullying in the [Local Government] Act”. The panel did not find that any of the nine allegations constituted bullying.
Bolam told The Times that the finding was “no surprise”.
“I make no apology for providing the necessary leadership to keep the newly elected council laser focused on the COVID recovery effort. I also make no apology for expecting high standards from elected officials insofar behaviour and conduct,” he said. “As a result of this approach, the council is punching well above its weight from public satisfaction results to tri-government funding outcomes to new and modern infrastructure for our community. You can’t achieve these things if the council is distracted or imploding from the inside.
“The independent panel’s decision should be a cautionary tale for councillors to not concoct vexatious accusations as, in this particular instance, public monies have been unnecessarily squandered for what was ultimately a baseless complaint.”
Frankston Council did not disclose the cost of the process to ratepayers. Council CEO Phil Cantillon said “the cost of the councillor conduct panel process is yet to be advised by Local Government Victoria and is based on a schedule of fees.”
Steven Hughes told The Times that he applied for a councillor conduct panel as he felt he was being treated “differently” to other councillors. “This made it very difficult to be a councillor dedicated to changing a council culture that, I believe, is self-serving and unresponsive. It also made it hard to fulfil my promise to Frankston residents to bring scrutiny to a council that has ignored the financial plight of Frankston residents and continues to raise rates even in times of great hardship,” he said.
“By undertaking the conduct panel I sought to defend my rights, and the rights of Frankston residents who support my fight for change so our collective voice can be heard. I am disappointed with the verdict as I have seen different standards applied to councillors who aren’t aligned with the majority.”
The published panel decision read that Hughes “showed a lack of awareness of the impact of his actions and a lack of insight into his behaviour and the impact it has on others around him.”
Since being elected to council alongside his son Liam Hughes in 2020, Steven Hughes has come into conflict with fellow councillors on numerous occasions. Hughes was suspended for a month last year after the conclusion of an arbitration process looking into his social media posts (“Rebel councillor suspended over Facebook posts” The Times 31/8/21).
In June, seven councillors signed a written dispute statement alleging Steven Hughes had engaged in misconduct. As a result, Frankston Council has applied for internal arbitration again to settle the matter (“Councillor sent to arbitration again” The Times 14/6/22).
