At Thursday’s council meeting, South Waikato Mayor Gary Petley said in addition to the imposed censure, Latinovic’s membership on the Local Services Committee would be suspended effective immediately.
Petley also said Latinovic was no longer authorised to attend any non-council meetings on behalf of the council.
This was even though the investigation into the three complaints was paused.
“[The pause] does not diminish the materiality of the complaints.
“Bullying behaviour, directed towards anyone, is not acceptable within this council.
“Your refusal to take part in that [code of conduct] process or accept the outcome … spits in the face of what you, and all other elected members, committed to do when you were sworn in,” Petley said.
Despite ratepayers’ outrage about the code of conduct investigation’s near-$40,000 bill, Latinovic has a strong support base within South Waikato.
Support for Latinovic
Two days before the June council hui, the South Waikato Ratepayers and Residents Action Group (SWRRAG) held a public forum in Putāruru.
The forum gave Rotorua Lakes councillor Robert Lee the chance to present a defence for Latinovic in response to the first two code of conduct complaints.
Lee intended to make the presentation at this month’s council meeting that eventually censured Latinovic.
At that council meeting Lee was given 15 minutes to talk, but he said it was not enough to present the defence and ended up walking out.
Lee’s presentation at the SWRRAG forum took more than an hour.
One code of conduct complaint relates to an incident earlier this year when Latinovic was accused of speaking over the mayor and causing disruption.
Lee’s defence was that Latinovic wasn’t opposing the mayor, but rather he was trying to calm the crowd down so the meeting could proceed.
The second complaint dealt with Latinovic accusing the chief financial officer of “creative accounting”.
While Latinovic admits to using the phrase, he told Local Democracy Reporting it was a question, not an accusation.
Lee told Local Democracy Reporting he felt the code of conduct complaints were frivolous and should be ignored.
Lee said codes of conduct weren’t legally binding and often amounted to a waste of time and resources.
The better alternative, Lee said, was the “court of electoral opinion”.
“The community have the right to unvote him [Latinovic] in two years’ time.”
Call for focus
South Waikato Mayor Gary Petley says his council has a lot of work ahead of it. Photo / Libby Kirkby-McLeod, RNZ
Speaking at this month’s council meeting on Thursday, concerned local John Ghent told elected members he’d prefer they litigate rather than investigate.
“When we complain to the civil courts, costs are awarded,” he said.
“If a complaint is malicious or unjustified, the complainant bears the cost.”
Ghent also called for peace among the council so they could fight central government’s push for amalgamation.
“Let councillor Latinovic recover his dignity, and allow other people theirs, then maybe we can face up to this outrageous demand from Government.”
Mayor Petley agreed with the need for the council to shift its focus.
He also said the decisions about Latinovic had not been made lightly.
“The ongoing disruption and the continued focus on your conduct must come to an end,” Petley said to Latinovic.
“We have extremely important work to get on with, and the sideshow you constantly create can be allowed no longer.
“I will not allow these council chambers to be used as a platform for political posturing – whether by you, your representatives or your supporters.”
Petley said he also noted Latinovic did not intend to partake in the further training and development the council offered him after the first two complaints.
“What a shame, that was designed to help you,” Petley said.
While Latinovic still has not publicly apologised, he told Local Democracy Reporting he wanted to make amends.
“I’m ready to meet with the mayor and anyone else to resolve our differences [so] we can move forward.”
Bronson Perich is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist for Taupō and South Waikato based at the Waikato Herald.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.