Mayor Karen Williams has a notice to appear in court after allegedly returning a blood alcohol reading of 0.177, which is more than three times the legal limit.
The calls for her to resign or be sacked are growing louder.
One Redland City Bulletin reader wrote to me this week and said the mayor should get a second chance because she'd made a mistake. Her argument was many people make a mistake and become better people after that mistake and perhaps the mayor could too. Many more readers say the mayor chose to drink "several glasses of wine" and drive, no mistake, a conscious choice.
Since the mayor's car crash, a Redlands resident who lost her daughter to a drink-driver launched a petition calling for Cr Williams to be stood down from the city's top job. That petition, submitted to the Queensland Parliament, now has more than 4000 signatures.
According to section 175K of the Local Government Act, a councillor or mayor charged with a disqualifying offence is automatically suspended from their position and cannot act as a councillor, mayor, or deputy mayor.
Under the act, a disqualifying offence is treason, electoral offences, and integrity offences.
Was the mayor's choice to drive her ratepayer-funded car after drinking enough alcohol for her to blow a blood alcohol level of three times the legal limit an integrity issue? Many of our readers, who are ratepayers, say yes, and calls for the mayor to resign are now coming from both Labor and Liberal politicians.
High-range drink driving is the most serious drink driving offence under Queensland law. It carries a maximum penalty of nine months imprisonment, a fine of more than $4000, or a minimum of six months driving disqualification for a first offence.
So what should the mayor do?
The mayor has released a statement saying she will wait until her court date to decide on her future. We call on the mayor to make public her intention to stay or step down before August 1 at Cleveland Magistrates Court.
We have given Cr Williams several opportunities to tell us her perspective on the calls for her to resign, but she has kept quiet so far. Perhaps she is waiting on legal advice or seeking counsel from trusted advisors. Nevertheless, the opportunity to speak with us remains open.
Craig Thomson
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
I am a media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcasts. I am currently the Editor of Australian Community Media's Launceston Examiner.
