Council and general manager part company

Derwent Valley Council general manager,
Greg Winton, left, with mayor Ben Shaw.

THE Derwent Valley Council and its general manager will part company this week. In a joint statement announced this afternoon, the council said recruitment of a new general manager would start soon.

Outgoing general manager Greg Winton has been on leave since mid-September last year and his contract has been the subject of numerous discussions in closed council meetings in the intervening period.

First joining the council in 2015, Mr Winton was appointed to a second three-year term starting in July 2018, and the current council reaffirmed the appointment in January 2019.

He briefly took leave from the council in July while an internal investigation was conducted into the culling of geese at Tynwald Park. Daniel Smee of the Kingborough Council was appointed acting general manager until Mr Winton returned to work two weeks later. The result of the geese inquiry remains known only to councillors and their legal advisers.

In August Mr Winton started the process of recruiting a deputy general manager and announced he had been discussing his retirement with the council since March. On September 17 it was announced that Mr Winton had gone on leave and Hobart City Council officer Margaret Johns was appointed acting general manager. Mr Winton did not return to work.

The council today announced it would pay Mr Winton $156,829 plus his accumulated leave entitlements in accordance with his contract. Cr Shaw thanked Mr Winton for his contribution to the council. "During his tenure, Mr Winton assisted greatly in helping to deliver significantly better value for ratepayers” Cr Shaw said.

Mr Winton thanked the community for its support during his time with the Derwent Valley Council. “I have enjoyed many achievements with council and I wish council, residents, and in particular council staff, all the best in the future,” he said.

In Mr Winton's absence since September the council has been administered by three acting general managers, with senior manager Richard Blackwell following Ms Johns. Former Marrickville Council general manager Brian Barrett took the reins in November and Mr Blackwell had another stint as acting general manager over Christmas while Mr Barrett was on leave.