By VANESSA CHIRCOP
WHEN Altona resident Maureen Short attended a public Innova meeting in March last year, she never imagined that the aftermath would still be affecting her life more than a year later.
The former ExxonMobil employee attended the meeting, where she would later be accused of publicly attacking Cr Tony Briffa and Friends of Kororoit Creek President Geoff Mitchelmore as well as having a conflict of interest due to her prior employment with Innova.
A week later, Maureen received three emails from Cr Briffa that would later see the then Deputy Mayor hauled before a Councillor Conduct Panel (CCP), be found guilty of misconduct and ordered to attend 12 months counselling and apologise to Ms Short.
In his emails, which copied in Ms Short’s then employer Mobil and other community members, Cr Briffa called for her to be sacked and accused her of publicly attacking him and Mr Mitchelmore after hearing from other residents that she questioned their lack of attendance at the meeting.
They are all allegations she firmly denies.
Ms Short also denies having a conflict of interest and maintains she was attending the meeting as a concerned resident.
“I hadn’t worked for them (Innova) for 18 months,” she told Star.
“I left that night and I had no qualms and no concerns.”
Ms Short said she now regrets going to the meeting, not because she thinks she did anything wrong, but because of the fallout.
“At the start I just kept my head high, I had done nothing wrong.
“It’s becoming harder for me to keep my happy disposition.
“There are times when I want to shut myself away and not speak to anyone.
“What I would like to see is the end of this storm in a teacup and for the Hobsons Bay Council to return to good governance.”
Accusations against Cr Briffa for serious misconduct are expected to be heard by VCAT in September.
