Geoff Helisma

Councillors have elected Cr Karen Toms to sit on the four-councillor panel to assess the performance of the Clarence Valley Council’s (CVC) general manager.

Cr Toms will join the mayor and deputy mayor, councillors Ian Tiley and Greg Clancy, as well as acting general manager, Laura Black’s pick, Debrah Novak.

Meanwhile, acting general manager Laura Black tossed a coin to decide the fourth position on the general manager’s performance review panel, according to Cr Tiley.

“The council elected Cr Toms by vote, and the acting general manager indicated that her choice was between councillors Whaites and Novak; and yes, it was a toss of the coin,” he said.

In the report to the February 22 CVC meeting, Ms Black advocated achieving “a gender balance in the makeup of the general manager’s performance panel”, which she wrote “is a reasonable expectation … under equal employment opportunity [EEO] principles”.

As a result, CVC’s Performance Review – General Manager policy has been amended to include: “Wherever possible and in accordance with EEO principles, the performance review panel will have gender balance.”

The amended policy is on exhibition until Wednesday March 30.

At the February 22 CVC meeting, councillors voted for their representative with a show of hands.

Cr Toms received three (3) votes; Cr Whaites four (4) votes, and Cr Novak two (2) votes; Cr Novak was excluded from the vote.

In the second ballot, Cr Toms was selected, defeating Cr Whaites five (5) to four (4) and was appointed the councillors’ panel member.

The council engaged Local Government Management Solutions, for the 2021/2022 financial year, to facilitate reviews of the general manager’s performance

“The Performance Management – General Manager policy is in accordance with the Office of Local Government Guidelines for the Appointment and Oversight of General Managers