Kiama councillor Karen Renkema-Lang has been referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption over the declaration of a financial donation.
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Cr Lang is the third councillor to be referred to ICAC, following Greens councillors Kathy Rice and Jodi Keast.
At a Kiama council briefing on May 27, two matters were on the table - Cr Renkema-Lang's Supreme Court case against the council's censure motion and an ICAC referral over a development application.
Kiama Greens member Ken Sandy had been fighting a development application across the road from his property for a number of years.
Documents in a current Land and Environment Court hearing included an 2021 email from Mr Sandy to his legal representative outlining a plan to "impede" the development "with a view to the applicant blowing a gasket".
Mr Sandy stated in the email that his aim was to delay a decision on the DA until the December 2021 council elections because it felt it may result in a make-up more likely to reject the proposal.
Mr Sandy was also running as a Greens candidate for the council elections at the time of this email.
Ahead of the May 2024 meeting, Cr Lang declared an interest in the ICAC referral involving Mr Sandy and planned to excuse herself.
She later altered that plan, declaring a "less than significant pecuniary" interest - a category that does not exist under the council code of conduct.
Councillors cannot declare a degree of pecuniary interest, only that they have one.
Cr Lang also revealed at the briefing that Mr Sandy had given her a "donation" and sources said she did not expand on that.
However, when the development application involving Mr Sandy came before the council in September 2022, the minutes recorded that Cr Renkema-Lang made no declaration of receiving donations from him at that time.
The decision to take part in the May 27 discussion involving a donor was considered concerning enough to refer the matter to ICAC for a decision.
A council spokesperson said Section 11 of the ICAC Act "requires a principal officer of a NSW public authority to report any matter where there is a reasonable suspicion that corrupt conduct has occurred or may occur".
Cr Renkema-Lang was contacted for comment.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
