Warrnambool's Brian Kelson has taken issue with being cut off by the mayor's gavel and prevented from speaking during public question time at last week's council meeting.
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Cr Richard Ziegeler took the rare step of using the gavel to stop the former councillor and president of the city's ratepayers association from asking a clarifying question, something Mr Kelson said he was allowed to do.
That followed a question about a survey into the CBD's controversial roundabouts and zebra crossings.
It prompted others to later ask Mr Kelson if the mayor had apologised to him, he said.
"I would just like an acknowledgement that he was wrong in what he did," he said.
Cr Ziegeler said he had been told by council staff the gavel had only been used a handful of times in recent years, and he should have allowed a clarifying question to be asked.
"While I don't have an apology, I will acknowledge I cut him off short," he said.
Cr Ziegeler said Mr Kelson had been warned with an excerpt from the legislation just prior to be aware the correct procedure had to be followed.
"In light of the fact that Mr Kelson is very often quite persistent in his approaches and questioning, and I was a little keen, I went slightly prematurely," Cr Ziegeler said.
"And being a new mayor I wasn't up to scratch with the allowance for him.
"The use of the gavel made the intent very clear and absolute.
"I didn't want him to continue on the basis he usually does.
"He's paid the price for prior behaviour and while I acknowledge I cut him off short I'm very conscious of his often disrespect for procedure."
"With 12 months having been elapsed, why has it taken so long?" he said.
Chief executive officer Peter Schneider said the council had also engaged an engineering consultant to undertake a traffic impact assessment on the CBD traffic movements, work which had been delayed on multiple occasions by pandemic restrictions.
He said the work had restarted and more pedestrian surveys had been completed and the results would be presented to council early in the new financial year.
When Mr Kelson started to say "just for clarification", Cr Ziegeler interrupted, banged the gavel and said "No, that's it. The question is asked and answered".
Mr Kelson said information about traffic movement wasn't what he was asking about, and he had tried to clarify that.
He said according to the back of the form used to submit public questions, he had the right to ask a clarifying question.
"It was basically an answer to shut me up and they knew they could stop me from talking," he said.
"What happened to the people that were going to be transparent. It's ridiculous.
"I have had so many people contact me regarding my treatment and asking whether an apology had been issued to me."
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