IAN North’s shock resignation as the deputy mayor on Thursday was a fitting end to what has been a tumultuous week for Bathurst Regional Council.
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Cr North has often spoken of his great pride in being deputy mayor of the city he loves so dearly, and it is a post he has held for a remarkable nine terms.
And while an email to councillors and senior council staff said he was stepping down for “personal reasons”, it appears the ongoing fallout of radio presenter Ray Hadley’s ongoing attacks on mayor Gary Rush have also played a part.
Cr North was interviewed on-air by Mr Hadley during the week but the performance did little for himself or any of the other parties involved in allegations about Cr Rush’s business and personal dealings.
Cr North did say he would not be moving a motion of no confidence against the mayor and that he had always found him to be a “straight shooter” who was doing a good job for Bathurst.
At the same time, Cr North also spoke in support of the mayor’s former partner, saying he had known her for almost 30 years and had no reason to believe her allegations against Cr Rush were anything but entirely truthful.
Cr North sounded uncomfortable trying to walk a thin line between supporting a long-time friend and supporting his mayor and may have wished later he never agreed to the interview.
But we still don’t know for sure just how significant that interview was in Cr North’s decision to step down as repeated calls from the Western Advocate on Friday went unanswered and unreturned.
There may be more to this story that Cr North doesn’t wish to share publicly and that is certainly his right, but it is understandable that colleagues close to him on council might have their noses out of joint about being left out of the loop.
What can’t be questioned, though, is Ian North’s love of Bathurst and devotion to council.
It’s an open secret that he would dearly love to be mayor but it says volumes about the pride he has in Bathurst that he would serve as deputy for nine years knowing the top job was likely to continue to elude him.
Cr North will continue as a councillor but there will be a very different feel in the chamber when he arrives for the next monthly meeting on Wednesday night.
It would seem the Christmas break cannot come soon enough for anyone.