General News
1 October, 2024
Andrejic wants old job back
ACTING Cairns Regional Council chief executive officer John Andrejic wants the job permanently.
According to a post on the council’s Facebook page: “While all applicants have the right to confidentiality, interim CEO John Andrejic has indicated he has applied for the permanent CEO role”. Mayor Amy Eden has also said she will not take part in the process involving the appointment of a new CEO if Mr Andrejic is short-listed.
“I acknowledge the interest in my involvement in the recruitment process of Mr Andrejic as the interim CEO, despite legal advice and a vote in council that approved my involvement,” she said.
“As such, I will be excusing myself from the recruitment, selection, interview and appointment processes for the permanent CEO role if Mr Andrejic (right) is short-listed for the role.”
The post said the council sought quotes from four local and three interstate recruitment firms. “After careful evaluation against a range of criteria set by (the) council’s director of people and organisational performance (Christine Posgate), Davidson was contracted to lead this recruitment process,” it said. Davidson has offices in almost all capital cities, including Brisbane.
“Applications for the CEO position closed on September 18, 2024. At this stage, (the) council has not been made aware of who the applicants are,” the FB post said.
“This is part of Davidson’s process, which includes initial interviews and validation of applicants before presenting any information to (the) council,” it said. “To ensure the integrity of the process and candidate care, (the) council has intentionally maintained a ‘hands-off’ approach. This allows for a fair and unbiased recruitment process.
“A briefing with councillors is tentatively scheduled for October 2, 2024 to provide an update on the recruitment.
“The interim CEO’s contract is set to expire on November 30, 2024.” Cr Eden originally chaired the selection panel who put Mr Andrejic back into his old job temporarily after advising the mayor’s election campaign despite councillors voting she had a declarable conflict of interest. Later they allowed her to take part in the selection process.