Logan City council could be sacked after its suspended mayor and seven councillors were charged with fraud for allegedly booting a top executive from her job.

April 27, 2019

A second Queensland local council could be sacked after criminal charges were laid against its suspended mayor and seven councillors by the crime watchdog.

The Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) on Friday charged suspended Logan mayor Luke Smith and the councillors with one count each of fraud.

It’s alleged all eight acted in concert to push the council’s former CEO Sharon Kelsey out of her job.

Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says dissolving the Logan council is one of the options available under the Local Government Act. 

“On the basis of advice, I’ll certainly be taking action as swiftly as I can to ensure that the residents of the City of Logan get the service and representation they deserve,” he told reporters.

All eight were charged by the CCC on Friday and granted bail to appear in the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court in May.

The councillors are Russell Lutton, Phil Pidgeon, Stephen Swenson, Laurie Smith, Jennie Breene, Cherie Dalley and Trevina Schwartz.

The charged councillors were automatically suspended from their roles once charges were laid leaving Logan with just four councillors.

Ms Kelsey was sacked last year after just seven months in the job, when a majority of councillors, but not Mr Smith, voted against extending her contract.

Mr Smith was also charged by the CCC with two counts of misconduct in relation to public office for allegedly starting a dishonest probation process for Ms Kelsey and interfering in the recruitment process of another person.

He is already facing charges of official corruption, failing to correct his council register of interests and two counts of perjury.

In August, the Ipswich City Council was dissolved after 15 people connected to the council, including two former mayors, were charged with 86 criminal offences in a highly publicised corruption scandal.