Veteran Merri-bek councillor Oscar Yildiz will be suspended over his social media activity. The suspension comes after he liked Facebook comments that were critical of fellow councillors and the council itself.
The Herald Sun reported that the incident began when Yildiz stormed out of a December council meeting and subsequently made a post to his 5,000 Facebook followers, and then liked numerous comments that targeted other councillors.
Councillor Jay Iwasaki filed the misconduct complaint, claiming the actions damaged his reputation and created community division.
Independent arbiter Noel Harvey OAM ruled that Yildiz’s conduct fell “below the standard expected of a councillor” and determined that liking the comments amounted to endorsing their content.
As part of the sanctions, Yildiz is banned from posting about council matters on social media until he completes training on appropriate social media use.
The suspension takes effect on Thursday, following the expected tabling of the arbiter’s report at a Council meeting on Wednesday evening.