She hasn’t been sacked – yet – but Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba was one of almost 30 council leaders to take part in a “Summit of Sacked Mayors” on Thursday.
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The summit, convened by NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley, provided a forum for council representatives from across the state to vent their thoughts on the Baird government’s forced council mergers.
Radio broadcaster Alan Jones addressed the event, attended by 27 mayors and deputy mayors – the majority of whom no longer have a job on their respective councils.
“I would have been a former mayor if it wasn’t for the court case,” Councillor Saliba said, citing the council’s current legal action.
“There’s a number of issues here, like the length of time the councils are going to be without any democratic representation.
“[The summit is] just to have a look at some of the issues that are affecting these local government areas.”
Mr Foley said communities across NSW had been “treated with contempt” by the state government.
“Bringing the state’s mayors together is an important step in sustaining a united effort to oppose the forced merger agenda,” he said.
“Sacking mayors wholesale and leaving communities without local representation is not the path to better local government.”
The Shellharbour City Council’s case was heard in the Land and Environment Court on Thursday.