Months of bizarre behaviour reached an apogee of sorts on Monday, when Cr Ong was suspended from attending any Dunedin City Council committees or subcommittees for the next nine months.
That outcome came after his fellow councillors discussed behind closed doors the findings of independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg and decided, once again, for the second time in two months, that Cr Ong had broken the council’s code of conduct.
As we have learnt, nothing is straightforward when it comes to the errant councillor’s actions. This time, despite clearly being informed he was able to attend the meeting, he declined the invitation, saying the choice of being there was not his to make and telling reporters he had been barred.
This latest breach was about Cr Ong sharing publicly some commercially sensitive details of a potential hotel development next to Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Councillors, council staff and ratepayers all have a right to feel irked when an elected member deliberately leaks confidential information which could end up hamstringing the city financially, ultimately affecting rates.
While journalists love a good leak of information, it generally needs to be about something genuinely in the public interest for it to see daylight. It is in nobody’s interest to frighten investors and put the kibosh on something which could actually be a money-spinner for the city.
Despite being expelled from committee meetings, and not privy to the confidential papers which accompany them, Cr Ong will still be able to attend full public and closed council meetings. He cannot legally be excluded from having a vote at those.
This latest censure is in addition to reactions to his earlier breaches of confidentiality, when he was told he would only be able to access some documents under supervision and could not take part in closed workshops.
The question is, where do we go from here?
It seems the only reasonable remaining options to put an end to this farce are for councillors to continue asking him to moderate his behaviour, for them to keep their fingers crossed and hope he resigns voluntarily, or for ratepayers to vote him out in the 2028 local election.
Much more extreme are the provisions of schedule 7 of the Local Government Act, which outline how court action can be taken to remove a member ‘‘incapable of holding office’’. If the court then determines the person is incapable, they can be ousted from office.
Those are seldom used, and for good reason: it would an extreme and potentially anti-democratic move to oust someone elected by the ratepayer in a fair and open contest.
But what are the mayor and council to do, given that Cr Ong is showing no signs of repentance or of improving his behaviour?
The extent to which Cr Ong has ended up offside with council chief executive Sandy Graham and Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker is clear in his comments after alleging he had been barred from Monday’s meeting.
He accused both of being wrong and ‘‘not particularly bright either, because I cannot be in that non-public meeting right now to face my trial’’. His perception that he is being tried suggests he has something of a martyr complex.
Asked about the chance he will resign, Cr Ong flippantly says he should have a T-shirt with ‘‘Never’’ on it, or perhaps have the same word tattooed on his forehead.
His behaviour is dragging down the reputation of the council and the city. His untrustworthy acts threaten possible economic repercussions on Dunedin’s future.
We have previously said that Cr Ong should consider resigning.
Given his latest antics, the time for thinking is over - Cr Ong must resign, for the good of Dunedin and quite possibly also for his own good.
It seems unlikely that when people voted for Benedict Ong to be a councillor that this is the kind of servant of the ratepayer that they expected.
His resignation would bring to an end a circus which has made the city look farcical. His antics have cost thousands in legal fees, and unless he shows leadership and takes responsibility for actions he will likely cost ratepayers many thousands more.
