Residents 3000 committee member calls for president to stand down

A committee member of Residents 3000 has called for president of the organisation and current City of Melbourne councillor, Rafael Camillo, to stand down.

In an explosive email to Residents 3000 members and followers on September 11, Merle Willis said the group had been “subjected to a political takeover” by president Rafael Camillo, vice-president Susan Saunders, and other committee members, which had become “unacceptably hostile over the last several months”.

“Residents 3000 is a resident representative community group for postcode 3000. However, it has become too dominated, controlled, and directed for the personal and political purposes of Cr Rafael Camillo and his supporters on the committee,” she said.

Ms Willis, who has served as the group's secretary since 2013, has called for Residents 3000 to return to a non-partisan and pluralistic balance, and to represent residents across the entire postcode 3000.

“It is not in the best interests of the resident community, nor in line with the purposes of Residents 3000, to be dominated, controlled, or directed by just one of eleven elected councillors,” she said.

Ms Willis also noted that part of her decision to call for Cr Camillo to step down was due to his role as president of the residents’ group interfering with his role as a councillor.

She also called on Susan Saunders to resign as vice-president, “retire gracefully” and to “allow us to refresh the direction”.

One committee member, who asked not to be named, said Residents 3000 had a cultural problem that predated the current dispute, with perceptions that agendas and invitations were tightly controlled, and that dissenting views, particularly on issues relating to city safety, health and homelessness, struggled to get airtime.

“No-one doubts there’s no personal financial gain here, but the line between ‘Raf the councillor’ and ‘Raf the Residents 3000 president’ is often blurred – and that’s a real problem of optics and trust. Members deserve clarity about which hat is being worn in any given forum,” the committee member said.

However, Cr Camillo, who currently leads the council’s safety and cleaning portfolio, disputed this and told CBD News that he would not be stepping down as the group's president.

“I have carefully considered this role alongside my duties as a City of Melbourne councillor,” he said. “As the president, I do not have a material conflict of interest as I do not receive a salary from the organisation.”

“My decisions as president reflect my personal views, not the priorities of council,” he added.

Residents 3000 will be hosting an AGM next month, where members of the community can have their say on elected positions.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece and City of Melbourne CEO Alison Leighton were both contacted for comment, but in a statement a City of Melbourne spokesperson said that it was the responsibility of an elected councillor to identify and disclose conflicts of interest when required to do so in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and the Governance Rules.