By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
COUNCILLOR Rosalie Crestani has withdrawn her discrimination complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission against Casey’s Mayor and CEO.
Cr Crestani announced last Tuesday that she would be withdrawing her complaints against City of Casey Mayor Mick Morland and CEO Mike Tyler that she had lodged with both the Commission and the Councillor Code of Conduct Panel.
Cr Crestani demanded last year that Casey Mayor Mick Morland resign from his position after she was prevented from raising an amendment to stop the council from promoting same-sex relationships.
Cr Crestani has now said she would be withdrawing the complaints after a “great deal of soul searching” and would no longer seek the mayor’s resignation.
“I have come to realise what I had set out to achieve in representing the public interest has since veered from the path that I feel is beneficial to all the parties involved,” she said.
“My heart is to work in conjunction with my colleagues to achieve greater outcomes for our residents.”
Cr Crestani’s fellow Four Oaks Ward councillor Rafal Kaplon came out publicly as gay in November after she attempted to raise the motion to stop the City of Casey promoting awareness of different sexual orientations.
Cr Crestani’s motion sought to stop the council from issuing media releases and remove signs concerning sexual orientation or the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.
Cr Crestani, who was a candidate for the Rise Up Australia Party (RUAP) in the Victorian election, also sought to abolish the council’s LGBTI diversity training program.
Cr Crestani was removed from her role on a number of council committees after last year’s acrimony.
Cr Morland, who met with her last Wednesday, said it would be a whole council decision as to whether Ms Crestani was ever re-admitted onto the committees.
The first ordinary council meeting for 2015 will take place on Tuesday 20 January.
