GINGIN SHIRE CHAOS: LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN DENIAL

By Carmelo Amalfi
A CEO suspended while under investigation. A shire president’s husband in court accused of threatening a sitting councillor. Local government breaches, VROs, death threats and social media calls for Gingin’s dysfunctional council to be put into administration until the air is cleared.
Ratepayers deserve transparency, accountability and leadership. So where is the Local Government Minister and council watchdog Tony Brown who visited Gingin on February 17?
Just 10 days later, the wheatbelt council announced a ‘workplace investigation’ and that CEO Scott Wildgoose was on leave until further notice. No other details, except that it followed a ‘special’ council meeting the public could not attend on February 26.
At this ‘confidential’ meeting, councillors were asked to support the suspension of the CEO. Only two councillors opposed the CEO’s suspension.
The shire said in a media statement on February 27 that interim governance arrangements were in place to ensure leadership and operations continue as normal while the investigation took place.
“The investigation will be conducted in accordance with the shire’s governance obligations and relevant legislative requirements. The commencement of this process does not represent a finding of wrongdoing, and no conclusions have been reached.”
It added to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure procedural fairness, no further details will be provided. The community will be updated once the investigation is completed in two to three weeks. Community services will not be affected.
StreetWise contacted the acting CEO for comment on Monday.
Mr Wildgoose “for personal reasons” has also stepped back as state president  of LG Professionals WA, the peak representative body established to improve local government leadership and governance in WA.
Former State President Anthony Vuleta thanked Mr Wildgoose for his contribution and leadership, “and we respect his decision to take this time away”.
Mr Wildgoose relocated to Gingin with his wife and two children when he joined Gingin shire in October 2024 for three years, having served previously as CEO at the Shire of Morawa.
This is not Gingin’s first CEO crisis.
In 2023, a petition of no confidence called for the removal of Mr Wildgoose’s predecessor CEO Aaron Cook. Council resolved to take no action to remove Mr Cook because it found the claims in the petition were baseless.
Mr Cook resigned in March 2024. The ad for the new CEO said council was looking for, ‘an energetic leader who was prepared to immerse themselves in the community of Gingin and work closely with elected members to drive their strategic vision’.
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