Enders’ Last Hurrah

Following the controversial confirmation of the appointment of a conflicted General Manager at the Special Meeting of Huon Valley Council Wednesday 16 March 2022, Mayor Enders was observed disposing of documents in the days leading up to her resignation from Council.

In a media release issued Friday 18 March 2022 Enders announced her sudden resignation, effective immediately.

Enders has been estranged from Council staff from when she first decided to work from home rather than from her designated Mayoral office within the Council building on Main Street. Her reasoning at the time was because of COVID-19 and her office was turned into a general purpose meeting room.

It is reported Browne also has a preference for working from home rather than attend his Council office, especially if the weather is cold and inclement, and if there is any risk to driving southbound from Hobart to the Huon Valley.

Tasmanian Times is aware of the considerable disharmony that existed between Enders and Council staff; perhaps even similar to the issues that surfaced when she was the executive assistant to Sue Hickey whilst Hickey was the Mayor of Hobart City Council.

Councillor Newell on his mobile phone during an Ordinary Meeting of Council

Newell referred to Enders in one of his many messages sent from himself to a member of the public:

“I was pre warned about her from her time at Hobart Council. They said she was big trouble and they were right. Sally sucks up to her like you wouldn’t believe.”

The mobile phone messages which were published by Tasmanian Times this past week may have added to her sudden and immediate resignation, or perhaps there are other reasons that may or may not surface in due course.

The somewhat abusive messages from Newell also included these comments referring to Enders.

“It is a total joke the Bec Enders”

“The sooner she pisses off the better”

“She’s an expert at passive aggressive manipulation who has Sally, Juarne and the two Greens totally under her thumb”

The timing of Enders sudden departure is curious given the contentious appointment of Jason Browne as the General Manager just two days prior.

His appointment has been an issue that has plagued this Council from when Tasmanian Times revealed there was a leak of confidential candidate names that came to TT on Monday 12 July 2021, the day before the GM Panel were to meet to review the final six candidates for the GM job.

The names provided in the leak were in fact the final three shortlisted candidates which included Jason Browne, the incumbent GM now at the HVC.

Then followed even more grief for the Huon Valley Council when it was made known that Jason Browne was in a relationship with Joanne Inches, the principal of Red Giant recruitment firm based in Hobart. Red Giant were engaged by Council to find their new GM.

Information has since surfaced that Browne and Inches had been in a relationship for some 8 months prior to the commencement of the recruitment process for a new HVC General Manager.

Tasmanian Times understands that Inches advised Enders of her conflict of interest as early as June 2021, well before the other members of the GM Panel Councillors Doyle, Newell and Campbell were advised in mid July 2021. The reasons for Enders not telling the other GM Panel members earlier are unknown.

Enders was busy running her campaign for the seat of Franklin as an outed member of the Liberal party following her declaration of being an independent when she stood for election as Mayor in October 2018. Enders did not win a seat in Parliament as she had hoped and returned to her role as Mayor of the Huon Valley Council May 2021.

Bec Enders Council election campaign brochure

In her campaign brochure for Mayor of the Huon Valley Mayors stated:

“I am running for Mayor of the Huon Valley Council to restore a working sense of community, purpose and civic involvement in governance, values that have been eroded in past years.

“The role of Mayor in local government is a special one.

“It demands a heightened sense of community awareness, impartiality, honesty, responsibility and compassion and it is for these reasons that I believe I can productively and passionately fulfil the role.”

Also included in her campaign brochure were the following statements.

“Ensure that council meetings and decisions made are consistent with the legislation”

“My preference is for all council meetings to be open to the public.”

“It is important for residents to see council processes and hear the discussion and why a decision has been made.”

“There is nothing in the legislation that prevents all council meetings being open to the public.”

The past three years have seen Enders involved with the 2019 bushfires, the controversial MONA projects that were to bring tourists to the Valley, and then COVID-19.

It has also seen Enders defending the improper pre-meeting meetings of Councillors and staff discussing the items on the upcoming agenda for the monthly ordinary meetings of Council, which then resulted in very little discussion during the Open meeting of Council; and it has also seen numerous workshops which are closed to the public along with many items being taken into Close Council despite her views expressed in her campaign brochure.

With Enders walking away from Council before the end of her term, this now leaves Deputy Mayor Doyle in the driving seat as Mayor until the next election in October 2022.

Doyle has been in an Acting Mayor role on a few occasions in this past three years, but she is no Enders when it comes to understanding legislative process and the requirements of being a Mayor. She does however enjoy the following of many Valley locals, something which Enders did struggle with given she came from South Australia.

Of considerable interest to the Council staff, fellow Councillors, and the community going forward will be how Browne and Doyle work together in the hope it is not a case of the blind leading the blind.

Also of great interest will be the final results of the Council employee survey being conducted by the Australian Services Union and whether this will lead to any Government intervention or further actions by the ASU into what is rapidly appearing to be a dysfunctional Council.

General Manager Jason Browne and Acting Mayor Sally Doyle

Since 2015 Geoffrey Swan has been actively involved in following the activities of the Huon Valley Council, both as a resident of the Huon Valley, and as as a ratepayer.

Prior to Covid, Swan attended most of the HVC Ordinary Meetings of Council which have been presented online via streaming. When contacting Council, Swan delineates between being a ratepayer, and being a reporter for Tasmanian Times.