THE rift between Mayor Peter Cox and Councillor Elise Chapman has widened after Cr Chapman attempted to refer the mayor to a Code of Conduct Panel over his general conduct in the role.
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Cr Chapman and Cr Helen Leach formally requested a panel last week, after giving the mayor one week to decide whether he would prefer to resolve their differences through mediation.
But Cr Cox said it was not up to the pair to decide how long he needed to respond.
“My understanding is that I still have time to respond to their request, and it’s not up to them to decide how long I have,” he said.
“Between this week’s council meeting and everything else that has been happening, I simply haven’t had the opportunity to read it all.”
Cr Cox confirmed he had received documents from the two councillors, which included examples of what they believe showed his “poor conduct”.
The Bendigo Advertiser understands the latest referral is about Cr Cox’s general conduct as mayor, rather than one specific incident.
The mayor held mediation talks with Cr Chapman last month after she complained about his handling of the aftermath of her own Code of Conduct Panel.
Cr Cox had chosen to read out the panel’s findings, a decision Cr Chapman found “grossly unfair”. The mediation talks broke down.
Cr Chapman confirmed they had notified the mayor of their desire to resolve the differences, and made it clear that they wanted a response within one week.
When he didn’t respond, they formally signed the papers requesting another Code of Conduct panel – potentially the fourth during the current term of council.
Cr Cox said he will respond by this Friday.
