UPDATE - 5.20pm
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Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Glenda McLean has arrived at Ararat’s Shire Hall for a briefing with councillors to pitch her proposal to be a ‘fly in, fly-out’ Mayor from 2600 kilometres away.
Cr McLean arrived at 5.02pm, about 15 minutes after most councillors arrived for the meeting scheduled before a 6pm public council meeting.
Cr McLean said she ‘couldn’t talk’ ahead of the meeting.
EARLIER – 4.30pm
Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Glenda McLean reportedly plans to fulfill her position via a ‘fly-in, fly out’ arrangement from Northern Queensland.
Cr McLean has been absent from her role since March 22, according to Cr Peter Beales, and has taken up a new job with North West Health in Mount Isa about 2600 kilometres from Ararat Rural City.
Cr McLean has, for the fifth day in a row, not responded to repeated requests for comment but told the ABC on Friday that she still had a residence and connections in Ararat.
“At the ripe old age of being closer to 70 rather than 60, I'm having a great time contributing to society via the medical stream...so I'm turning into a grand old FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) in some senses,” Cr McLean said.
Deputy mayor Gwenda Allgood said she had never heard of a FIFO mayor before.
The first that Cr Allgood and some other councillors learned of Cr McLean’s FIFO proposal was via media reports.
“I’d need to have a bit more of an explanation than that,” Cr Allgood said.
“I would like to know a lot more.
“I haven’t heard about anybody trying that before in all my years in local government.”
Cr McLean has asked other councillors to meet with her in person in Ararat at 5pm on Tuesday for a “mature conversation” before the public ordinary council meeting at 6pm.
Tuesday night’s meeting will also be the first to be video streamed live via the internet by Ararat Rural City Council.