A second Municipal Monitor has been appointed at Kingston Council.
John Watson has been announced to work with the other monitor John Tanner AM to oversee the council until 31 December.
Watson has previously served as a monitor at Darebin Council, as well as executive director at Local Government Victoria, chair of Victorian Local Government Grants Commission and director of Northern Health.
In a statement, Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley and chief executive Peter Bean said they’d work closely with the monitors.
“We have been working well with Mr Tanner since he started in August and look forward to meeting Mr Watson,” they said.
“We will continue to do everything we can to assist them in their role as we go about delivering excellent service to the people of Kingston.”
In August, the State Government appointed Tanner and an unnamed second monitor until the end of 2025 to provide “good governance and support for council’s decision-making procedures”.
In response, Liberal MP Ann-Marie Hermans told Parliament on 28 August she wanted assurance that the move wasn’t a “political tool” used to “silence great councillors and steamroll contentious planning issues”.
The monitors’ announcement came days after a large public gathering against development at Rossdale golf course – a development opposed by Kingston Council.
Similarly Kingston has opposed a 941-dwelling proposal on the former Kingswood golf course – which has since been approved by the Government.
In Parliament, Liberal Bev McArthur accused Local Government Minister Nick Staikos of “covertly weaponizing” his portfolio to “seize control of councils that refuse to toe the Labor Party line”.
On 22 August, Local Government Minister Nick Staikos said “Victorians expect their councils to maintain a high standard of processes and practices, and these monitors will help the council best serve the Kingston community.”
The monitors would address issues such as conflicts-of-interest, health-and-safety practices, the relationship between councillors and between councillors and council officers, and decision-making processes, according to the Government.
