The meeting, attended by just seven of the 11 elected councillors, followed a story by The Age flagging the council’s likely dismissal by the Andrews government early this year. Mayor Susan Serey told the meeting that the council wanted to "provide community assurance in the integrity of decision making". Casey insiders said the council wanted to send a message to the government that its sacking was not necessary because the councillors would no longer make the sorts of planning decisions that are the focus of the IBAC’s Operation Sandon. But the fine print of the New Year's Eve meeting reveals that the councillors had ignored earlier recommendations from the Casey chief executive, Glenn Patterson, that he choose the experts on the special committee. Instead, the councillors decided they would have the final say over the appointments. And, despite the council being the subject of a planning-related corruption probe, the councillors insisted on appointing one of their own, Cr Rex Flannery, to the new committee. Cr Flannery told The Age he understood he was chosen because he was the only Casey councillor with "no involvement in IBAC whatsoever".

Critics say that, rather than quell community and state government concerns about governance at Casey, the formation of the new committee highlighted how compromised and unworkable the council now was. “Dismissing the council would give us certainty,” said Brendan Browne secretary of the Casey Residents and Ratepayers’ Association. “Sacking them seems to be the only way, and the sooner the better.” Casey’s governance conundrum is highlighted by the fact that, had the council allowed Mr Patterson to choose the special committee experts, it faced the problem that he too had been mentioned on numerous occasions in the IBAC hearings. An IBAC surveillance photo of Casey councillor Sam Aziz (left) and developer John Woodman (right) at a Subway restaurant in April 2018. Credit:IBAC In one phone intercept played in the hearing in November, developer John Woodman was heard boasting that he had helped arrange Mr Patterson’s appointment and that he expected to get favourable treatment from the new CEO.

Over three weeks from mid-November, IBAC heard how, in his bid to win lucrative planning approvals on behalf of clients, Mr Woodman allegedly corrupted Liberal-linked former mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett with at least $1.2 million in bribes, and showered councillors and state political candidates – including current Labor frontbenchers – with donations. Of the current 11 Casey councillors, a clear majority have received Mr Woodman's largesse. So complete was Mr Woodman’s hold on Casey, that counsel assisting IBAC Michael Tovey, QC, described the councillors as Mr Woodman’s "puppets". Mr Browne said the IBAC evidence had made it necessary for the council to exclude itself from a major planning role. “But we’ve now got this situation where councillors who seem to have conflicts of interest are the same ones who are determining who is going to be on this committee.” He said that, given the evidence in the IBAC hearings about both the councillors and the chief executive, “it’s hard to see how it [Casey] is workable at all”.

Both mayor Cr Serey and Mr Patterson have refused to be interviewed by The Age. The government is likely to move on the council within weeks. Opposition local government spokesman Tim Smith has also called for the council's dismissal. In November Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek appointed a special monitor, Laurinda Gardner, to report on Casey’s governance by the end of this month. Sacking would require state cabinet approval and an act of Parliament. Cabinet is likely to meet before Parliament resumes on February 4. Loading The only councillor to oppose the formation of the special planning committee was Rosalie Crestani, a leading member of the far-right Rise Up Australia group.

She said it did not make sense for the council to distance itself from planning decisions but then choose the experts to make the decisions. Cr Crestani said the establishment of a planning committee removed the right of elected councillors to represent their communities. “I am not going to lay down easily to have those rights removed from me.” Meanwhile, mystery continues to surround the whereabouts of Cr Aziz, who left the country after IBAC raided his and other councillors’ homes in August. He is believed to be in Egypt. Casey’s governance manager Ms De Kretser confirmed that approved leave of absence for Crs Aziz and Ablett ended on December 31. But she said both remained councillors and continued to receive councillor pay as per the Local Government Act 1989.

Both have failed to respond to repeated calls from The Age.