Perth / Western Australia

Pay walled but interesting

One more seat has been left empty in the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup council chambers following a second resignation. Effective from November 26, the shire announced Cr Alexis Davy had resigned, with her term not set to expire until October 2027 after being elected in 2023. She is the second councillor to quit since October’s election, with former councillor Lisa Glover resigning on October 24.

In an online statement, Ms Davy said she respected those in the shire who serve the community, but a decision was backed that she so strongly disagreed with that she has left the table. “Over the last two years I’ve learnt that working in local government is a choice to put yourself in a challenging environment day after day - financial constraints, aggrieved community members and constantly evolving complexity,” she said. “As a councillor, you are required to represent your community on issues that affect them. You debate, sometimes you disagree, you vote, and then you are required to stand behind every decision of council. A decision was made by council I feel strongly about, and in the interests of a united council, I’ve decided to step down from my role.”

Chief executive Nicholas O’Connor said having fewer councillors could present challenges such as reduced community representation, but acknowledged some community members would see the situation differently. “The previous term of council decided to seek community views on the pros and cons of reducing the seats on council from nine to seven, which is a conversation we were contemplating having with the community,” he said.