Ku-ring-gai Council General Manager John McKee had his contract terminated during an Ordinary Meeting of Council on the 15th of August.
The immediate termination was decided during a closed-door session. Council recognised GM McKee should be thanked for his many years of service, and delegated authority to the Mayor to authorise 38 weeks of payment in lieu of termination notice.
Councillors Ngai and Kay moved that just as councillors are required to seek re-election to “prove their worth”, as should the position of General Manager. It was declared that the position of General Manager would be available to apply for a fortnight after the upcoming September mayoral election. Councillors Kay, Ngai, A. Taylor, G. Taylor, Lennon and Ward were those who voted to terminate GM McKee’s contract with Council.
Soon after his termination, council put forth a motion to temporarily reinstate General Manager McKee pending future deliberation. ‘A rescission motion has been lodged and on that basis Mr McKee’s employment as General Manager will continue unchanged until the motion is dealt with by Council,’ says Ku-ring-gai Council spokesperson.
Amid these events, former Ku-ring-gai Mayors Jennifer Anderson, Elaine Malicki, and Cheryl Szatow have spoken out against the GM’s recent sacking.
In a press release, Emeritus Mayor Jennifer Anderson writes that McKee was sacked without reason, and pre-empted GM McKee’s performance review, which is demonstrative of “councillors’ disregard for due process.”
Anderson continues by slamming Ku-ring-gai Council’s current term of councillors, who voided council’s Long Term Financial Plan without an alternative to take its place, and states that GM McKee’s sacking looks like a “desperate act to find a scapegoat for an elected council that has struggled to achieve anything of significance since 2021.”
Emeritus Mayor Elaine Malicki publicly expressed outrage at GM McKee’s recent termination, claiming it is a “stunning personal blow to Mr McKee who has achieved so much”, and stating the thought of the current councillors in Ku-ring-gai Council attempting to appoint a new General Manager is “horrifying”.
Former Mayor Cheryl Szatow published a media release detailing her experience working with GM McKee during the 2015/16 period, praising his skills and initiative when fighting for Ku-ring-gai Council. Former Mayor Szatow writes, ‘Have current councillors done their homework? Do they have any idea of the scope of work that has, under this GM (because Mayors come and go) been achieved?’
John McKee has over 20 years of history working for Ku-ring-gai Council and has been acting General Manager since 2006. This attempt at removing McKee from the GM position is not the first.
In October of 2021, The Post reported that Ku-ring-gai Council were likely to terminate GM McKee’s contract in a meeting called by Councillors Kay and Kelly. The meeting was described as a surprise considering McKee’s “more than satisfactory” performance review.
Ku-ring-gai Council are set to deliberate on the rescission motion and determine GM McKee’s fate at a later date.
