State government to appoint monitor amid calls for mayor to resign
Wyndham Council councilors unanimously called on the mayor to resign for making character references to child sex offenders, while the Allan government said it would appoint a monitor to restore stability to the fractious west suburban council.
Wyndham Mayor Preet Singh, who was elected to office on March 24, temporarily stepped down Tuesday afternoon as she faced a barrage of criticism for her decision to give a character reference to her longtime friend in 2024.
The man named Kashyap Patel was on trial for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2021. He was later convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison.
State Liberal candidate Dinesh Gourisetty also withdrew his candidacy for the upper house seat of parliament on Monday after it emerged that he, too, had provided a character reference for Patel, just a day after winning the preselection for the Western Metropolitan district.
In a character reference for Patel written on April 11, 2024, Singh said his friend of more than a decade was “very sorry for the accusations and I believe he is truly deeply remorseful for what he did.”
“I will continue to have confidence in Mr. Kashyap Patel, even if he has been charged. He has always demonstrated a high level of integrity and is someone I can trust… I believe that any behavior he exhibited that led to him being charged with child grooming and sexual assault was a one-off incident.”
Wyndham’s ten council members issued a statement Wednesday afternoon calling on Singh to resign to “restore stability to the council and the Wyndham community.”
Community members staged a protest against Singh outside council offices in Werribee at 5pm on Wednesday.
Councilors said they had been working behind the scenes since Monday to secure Singh’s resignation.
The statement said, “We can no longer remain silent. Supporting child sexual offenders is completely unacceptable.”
“The Wyndham community deserves a mayor they can trust, and that’s even more true in an election year when we step up our advocacy to fund important projects.
“Following Monday’s statements and the mayor’s refusal to resign, we firmly believe that he is no longer fit to serve as mayor and cannot adequately discharge the duties of that role.”
The state government intervened on Wednesday, announcing it would appoint a monitor to restore good governance at Wyndham.
“I am deeply concerned about the continued instability in leadership at Wyndham City Council,” Local Government Minister Nick Staikos said.
“Taxpayers and residents deserve a council that is fully focused on them. That’s why I will appoint a monitor to assist the council in restoring stability in leadership and ensuring good governance.”
Singh was elected mayor of Wyndham just over a week ago after a deadlocked vote on March 23. Previous mayor Josh Gilligan lost his post in February after being suspended from the council for a month after being found guilty of misconduct by an independent arbitrator.
The arbitrator found Gilligan breached council standards by labeling a former council member on social media as “a raging lunatic spouting anti-government propaganda that you usually see in the sovereign citizen movement.”
Deputy mayor Jasmine Hill was appointed acting mayor, making her Wyndham City’s third mayor in 36 days. Hill was suspended from the council in 2023 for misconduct, alleging he bullied council staff in a lawsuit filed against him by Gilligan.
On Wednesday, Singh released a statement on Facebook regarding the character reference and asked for his resignation.
“Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and I absolutely condemn it,” he said.
“I understand the distress and concern this situation has caused the community. The character reference I have provided was made before my selection. I recognize that this, regardless of its timing, raises legitimate questions about the proceedings. I am deeply sorry for this.”
But Singh, the 2022 state Liberal candidate for Tarneit, has so far refused to resign.
Age He tried to contact Singh but did not receive an immediate response.
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Adam Carey is senior urban reporter (suburban). He has held previous roles including education editor, state political correspondent and transportation reporter. He joined The Age in 2007.Connect with: X or email.
