from Kapiti Independent News:-
Kapiti Coast Councillor K. ‘Guru’ Gurunathan finally emerged completely victorious in an important case involving democratic process in the Kapiti Coast District Council.
He took legal action against his own council over a decision to exclude him and four other Councillors from a committee set up to review CEO Mr Dougherty’s performance and pay.
Dougherty
The Council’s ‘Chief Executive Performance and Employment Committee’ (CEPEC) was made up of the Mayor, Ross Church, and five of the ten KCDC councillors.
Cr Gurunathan objected to the fact he couldn’t attend committee meetings or get access to all its information. When his objections were ignored he took his own case to the High Court — and won.
The CEO’s performance is crucial to the functioning of the organisation and the way it uses — or misuses — ratepayer money. It should therefore be a matter that the whole council should be involved in. This committee that Mayor Church composed was clearly made up of those Councillors uncritical of Mr Dougherty’s many shortcoming, not the least of which is his aggressive arrogance.
Unfortunately, this is often seen as a plus by Boards when they choose a general manager, while little, if any, consideration is given to the far more important attributes of diplomacy, people skills, seeing the big picture, forward thinking, and basic common sense.