A row between Callander Community Council and former members rumbled on this week after it was alleged that the ex-councillors quit in a bid to collapse the group.
The Observer last month told how the community council was thrown into turmoil after five of its members quit in a row over the town’s community development trust.
Community councillors Richard Johnson, Brian Luti, Mike Luti, Elaine Watterson and Roger Watt took the decision to step down, citing a rift between long-standing community councillors and newer members who were elected to the council almost three years ago.
However, at the July meeting of the community council, held on Monday evening, the resignees were accused of quitting in a bid to collapse the council and trigger a re-election.
The five resignations brought the community council’s membership down to six members, one fewer than the minimum required.
Responding to the allegations this week, former community council chairman, Richard Johnson said: “I categorically refute any suggestion that I or the other community councillors resigned to initiate the collapse and re-election of the community council. All of us who resigned had spent a lot of time trying to work with the other councillors for the benefit of the community, sometimes with positive results. But the chair refused to listen and only pursued her way of micro-control of administrative matters while ignoring the needs of the community.
“Several of the remaining councillors do not understand the conflict of interest when they are directors or office bearers of several community organisations. This was pointed out to them on numerous occasions but they refused to admit that representing two organisations with different objectives is not possible.
“A number of us who resigned had been community councillors for many years and we believed in the role of the community council to represent the community. There is no way that we would ever have discredited the reputation of the Callander Community Council and we could not sit back and see some councillors doing this.
“We tried until it became impossible to change their methods and we resigned because we could not be part of bringing the community council into disrepute.”
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Brian Luti described the claims as a “distortion of the truth”.
Roger Watt said: “The allegation that the five of us acted in a co-ordinated way to bring down Callander Community Council is false. In fact, over the course of the last year, I produced papers and led discussions in the community council attempting to make it more effective and focused on its purpose and how to achieve that purpose with the complex set of loyalties of its councillors.
“Eventually I gave up the effort. I would prefer that the community council give its time and energy to consulting with its community rather than using its public platform to air groundless conspiracy theories about members of the community it is supposed to represent.”
At the meeting, it was revealed that six applications had been received in the community council’s bid to co-opt two new members, which would take the group membership up to eight.
Trossachs and Teith ward councillor Martin Earl raised the question whether the option of disbanding the community council and staging an election to put in place a full community council with its full quota of 14 members.
The six remaining community councillors rejected the idea, saying that they are determined to spend the time until the next scheduled election carrying forward programmed projects.
Susan Holden, chair of the community council, said: “We remaining members, who were taken totally by surprise by the resignations, have had to work incredibly hard over the last five weeks, making sure that the show stays on the road, talking to people – not being arrogant and thinking that we can do it better – having to cope with, in my case, personal insults in the press, and ridiculous statements on Facebook.
“If we can come through those five weeks, feeling that we can work together, that we have something to offer the community, then I think it is worth continuing.”
Another community councillor added: “For the six of us who suddenly found ourselves as the only community councillors, our first thought was ‘No, we should not give up.’ Dissolution was threatened, and this seemed not right. We just felt there is a job to be done, and we’ve actually found that we’re working well together and just want to get on with things.
“If there was to be an election, there would be no community council while that process goes on. So I think – others may agree or disagree with me – but for me it’s very clear that we have a duty to carry on and fulfil the job.”
At Monday’s meeting, it was revealed that a number of office bearer positions have since been filled since last month’s resignations.
Olga Watkins has taken over as secretary, Marilyn Moore as treasurer and John Watson as vice chair.
