A south-east Queensland mayor is on the brink of being forced out of office after her extended sick leave was rejected by councillors.
Redlands mayor Jos Mitchell has been on medical leave since May, with councillors at monthly meetings voting to either accept or reject her continued absence.
The leave had initially been accepted until it was voted against by most councillors at the September meeting.
Under Queensland law, a councillor’s or mayor’s seat is vacated once they miss two or more consecutive general meetings over a two-month period.
While Mitchell has missed two meetings, she cannot lose her seat until the next meeting, according to the Department of Local Government.
Should she be forced from her position, Mitchell would be the first mayor in Queensland to be ousted in such a manner.
Elected in 2024, Mitchell entered a deeply divided council following the exit of long-term mayor Karen Williams two years after she made headlines for crashing her council-owned car while drunk.
Mitchell has been outspoken about the council’s culture, and has made headlines for being the subject of more than 50 conduct complaints, which she has claimed were politically motivated.
In August, the council’s bureaucratic arm took a swing at the mayor in a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry into councillor conduct, suggesting any councillor on extended leave should be subject to an investigation.
In May, Mitchell said she would be on medical leave for six weeks.
The mayor had been taken to hospital earlier in the year after collapsing at work.
“On medical advice, I have made the decision to step aside from my role as mayor for a period of six weeks to appropriately address a health issue,” she said at the time.
“This is a decision I have not taken lightly, nor with any pleasure. It is, though, a necessary decision if I am to continue in this role and perform at my best.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, deputy mayor Julie Talty, who has led the meetings in Mitchell’s absence, said councillors had received a note in July asking for continued leave from meetings through October 31.
Before the vote, councillor Jason Colley asked chief executive Louise Rusan whether the council had received a request from Mitchell to take leave without pay, which she said they hadn’t.
Councillors Wendy Boglary, Lance Hewlett, Tracy Hughes and Paul Bishop voted to accept the leave, while councillors Rowanne McKenzie, Shane Rendalls, Paul Gollé, Colley and Talty voted against.
A spokesperson for the mayor said the vote was disappointing.
“Many workplaces send ‘get well’ messages when people are away unwell,” they said.
“Mayor Jos Mitchell has received criticism and imputations.”
They drew a line between the support shown for Williams after she was charged with drink-driving and the apparent animosity towards Mitchell.
“Most of the councillors voting against Mayor Mitchell’s application for leave of absence with a medical certificate were present when the former mayor drank, drove and crashed the Lexus paid for by ratepayers,” they said.
“… We understand the councillors appeared supportive of that mayor from her crash in 2022 until the end of her paid term in 2024.”
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