Developer John Woodman made a telling intervention in Amanda Stapledon’s election as Casey mayor in 2018, IBAC has heard.
Ms Stapledon requested a meeting with him at a Malvern cafeon 17 October 2018 after being “very disappointed” to hear he may have been supporting then-councillor Geoff Ablett’s tilt as mayor.
Being “down one number” in the mayoral vote, she believed Mr Woodman’s support was swaying then-councillor Sam Aziz’s vote.
“I think it was an emotional reaction to great disappointment and it wasn’t just about the influence, although I think he had some influence over Mr Aziz at that stage,” Ms Stapledon told IBAC.
“It was more about why and perhaps to set the record straight in terms of the unfortunate breakdown of the relationship between Mr Ablett and myself.”
At the caf¨¦, Mr Woodman told her that he didn’t mind who was mayor – “as it should be”, Ms Stapledon said.
But he offered for his lobbyist Lorraine Wreford to “encourage” Mr Aziz to vote for Ms Stapledon.
“I should never have done it,” Ms Stapledon told IBAC.
Ms Wreford, a former Casey mayor and state MP, was a “good friend” with “significant influence” over Mr Aziz. She was also Ms Stapledon’s “friend”, IBAC heard.
In a text message intercepted by IBAC, Ms Stapledon wrote to Mr Woodman that “Lorraine has passed on the message to Sam loud and clear.
“All good and look forward to the year ahead with excitement thanks and good to catch up.”
The inquiry is investigating Mr Woodman’s alleged corrupt payments of about $1.2 million to Mr Aziz and Mr Ablett.
At the time, Ms Stapledon knew of Mr Woodman’s “association” with Mr Aziz and “friendship” with Mr Ablett but “didn’t consider it too close”.
IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich replied: “Even while you’re involved in a tussle for the mayorship and seen that Mr Woodman had some role to play?”
“I wasn’t sure of the facts,” Ms Stapledon said.
“That’s why I had the meeting with Mr Woodman. He said he didn’t have any problem with who was mayor. It wasn’t up to him.”
Ms Stapledon said she wasn’t asked for anything in exchange for Mr Woodman’s help in the matter.
Over a tapped phone call arranging the meeting, she asked Mr Woodman to meet “somewhere away from everything”. Mr Woodman agreed on the need for a “secluded” location.
She said she wouldn’t describe Mr Woodman as a friend.
“He was a supporter and a contributor – a philanthropist if you like.”
At an earlier IBAC hearing, Mr Woodman described Ms Stapledon as a friend.
On 18 October, a day after meeting with Ms Stapledon, Mr Woodman spoke to his planning consultant Megan Schutz in a tapped call.
Mr Woodman is heard to refer to Ms Stapledon as “fatso” while Cr Ablett is “on the nose” and “on the way out” with his colleagues.
“He’s been going around telling people unless they play ball one of their number one supporters is going to withdraw all support from them,” Mr Woodman said.
The same day, in another intercepted call Mr Woodman says Ms Stapledon has the numbers and is “100 per cent behind us”.
In hearing that call, Ms Stapledon told IBAC that she had “no idea” what Mr Woodman meant.
