Casey chief executive Mike Tyler.CASEY chief executive Mike Tyler’s future at the council is once again in doubt after councillors voted to advertise the top job.
In a turnabout, councillor Paul Richardson sided with the Labor faction at last week’s council meeting to have the CEO’s job advertised.
Last month Cr Richardson asked Edrington Ward councillor Mick Morland to join with him to move a rescission motion that would override a previous motion that the job be advertised.
“I agreed because it was wrong in the first place to have the chief executive Mike Tyler put under threat of losing his job when he had served the council and community so well,” Cr Morland said.
“I was against the process adopted by the April motion to advertise his job without holding a review of his work from the start.”
However, Cr Richardson ended up withdrawing his signature from the first rescission motion.
At last week’s meeting, in which the second attempt at a rescission motion was lost six to five, councillor Brian Hetherton said it was improper to advertise the position without the courtesy of conducting a review of the incumbent’s performance.
“If that review shows that he has met the criteria in accordance with his job requirements then he stays.
“If it shows that he has not performed accordingly then you say he will not be reappointed,” he said.
“We run the risk of not finding someone as good as the present officer and if we advertise we have a situation where he might go anyway.”
Cr Richardson then asked that council discuss the appointment in camera to formulate strategies for advertising the chief executive position.
Springfield Ward councillor Janet Halsall asked that all councillors be involved in the selection process.
“If we appoint a small panel of councillors to make this appointment then those not on the panel may be unhappy with the result.
“All councillors should be charged with this responsibility and we should have an independent consultant to advise the council,” she said.
