ACTING Mayor Julie Talty has blatantly ignored standing orders during the latest council general meeting, quickly moving past petitions covering the Mayor's crash as all talk of the incident was kept off the agenda.
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The long-serving councillor, who chaired Wednesday's meeting with Cr Karen Williams away on unpaid leave, failed to provide an outline for each petition and wrapped up the segment inside two minutes.
That is despite Redland City Council standing orders stating that councillors must mention a petition and read it to the room before a motion can be moved.
No fewer than three petitions related to the Mayor's budget day crash were tabled in the chambers about an hour after ratepayers gathered outside the council building to call for Cr Williams to resign.
The meeting was run as normal, with not a single mention of the drink-driving charge or crash despite intense media interest and a larger than normal public gallery.
All petitions involving the Mayor, including one which asked for Cr Williams to step down, were received with unanimous support from councillors and will be referred to chief executive Andrew Chesterman.
Another petition called for the council to adopt a zero alcohol policy in light of the Mayor's drink-driving charges and allegations of councillors drinking in the chambers.
Cr Talty made a point of reminding councillors that they could not enter into debate or discussions on the petitions, despite completely overlooking other standing orders herself.
Cr Talty's ties to the Mayor are well known, having featured in a campaign video during Williams' run for preselection with the LNP in 2021.
"Having worked closely with Karen for nearly ten years ... I can tell you that she is clever, a great manager, she is an extraordinary leader and she is absolutely the best person to represent Bowman," she said in the video.
Cr Williams was charged with drink-driving earlier this month and is now less than two weeks away from learning her fate in Cleveland Magistrates Court.
The Bulletin has reached out to the Mayor and Mr Chesterman for comment on several occasions but they have refused to respond.
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