Read Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) article: The state MP, the new mayor, and the messages to ‘get rid of’ a council CEO’ by Cindy Yin, May 29, 2026 HERE

This article raises significant questions about ethics, probity and undue influence amongst MPs, Councillors and Council staff?

FOKE Summary

The SMH has revealed that Mr Alister Henskens, MP for Wahroonga, may have pressured a past mayor to sack the former General Manager Mr John McKee.

It was revealed that in August 2021, Cr Cedric Spencer informed Wahroonga MP Mr Alister Henskens that he would challenge the then Mayor Cr Jennifer Anderson at the Ku-ring-gai Council Mayoral elections on 21 September 2021.

It is alleged that Cr Cedric Spencer indicated that if he won the Mayoral Election he would sack the long standing General Manager Mr John McKee who had served as Ku-ring-gai Council’s General Manager for 15 years and who had joined Ku-ring-gai Council in 1998, before being appointed as GM in 2006, a position he held the role for 17 years before his dismissal in 2023.

Text messages between MP Alister Henskins and Cr Cedric Spencer following his election as Mayor indicate they both wished to sack the General Manager Mr John McKee, as well terminate Andrew Watson’s position as Director of Strategy and Environment.

The SMH Has revealed an image of the text messages as follows:

Alister Henskens: Congratulations Mr Mayor

Cedric Spencer: Thank you, minister!

Alister Henskens: Get rid of John McKay while you can

Cedric Spencer: I’m planning that as we speak

Alister Henskens: Excellent.

Alister Henskens: And Watson next

Cr Cecil Spencer has revealed to the SMH that he had been “under a tremendous amount of pressure” to sack Mr McKee the Ku-ring-gai Council General Manager, by Mr Alister Henskens – the MP for Wahroonga and former minister for sport, former shadow attorney-general, and former manager of opposition business – because McKee was “dragging his feet” on several council projects which had received NSW Government funding.

Cr Cecil Spencer has admitted that “Henskens exerts a lot of political pressure on Liberal councillors. It’s very unhealthy, . . MPs have a lot of influence.”

Soon into Cr Cecil Spencer’s tenure as mayor, John McKee banned him from speaking to or phoning Ku-ring-gai Council staff due to allegations of threats and poor behaviour? This has been denied by Cr Spencer.

Cr Spencer served as Ku-ring-gai Council Mayor from September 2021 to January 2022. Cr Jeff Pettett replaced him as Mayor in January 2022 following the local government elections.

In a separate incident, Spencer has been charged over alleged threats made towards a fellow councillor during a heated phone call in November 2024.

Mr Henskens accepts the text messages exist but has said in a statement:

“I reject that my text was an instruction and in proper context should not be interpreted that way.”

“Spencer therefore had a predetermined plan not suggested by me to seek the removal of the general manager prior to my September text, and I reminded him on the day he became mayor in my text of the opportunity to now do what he was planning to do if he became mayor.”

The SMH has revealed that Cr Cecil Spencer told MP Alister Henskens he had finalised plans to fire McKee at the Ku-ring-gai Council Extraordinary meeting on October 2021.

The attempt to sack Mr John McKee as Ku-ring-gai Council General Manager, at that time, was unsuccessful due to a lack of a quorum where half of the 10 councillors boycotted at least eight consecutive meetings. The local government watchdog was also poised to intervene just weeks before the December 2021 local government elections.

Alister Henskens criticised Ku-ring-gai Council for having a “high degree of dysfunction and poor decision-making” and for “fail[ing] to use $6 million in NSW government grants to upgrade local soccer and basketball facilities, with work not commenced within three years of the funds being awarded” in a speech to the NSW Parliament in November 2021.

One project was introducing synthetic turf onto Norman Griffiths Oval, West Pymble. This was strongly supported by the NSFA (Northern Suburbs Football Association). In July 2017, Henskens had announced $500,000 in grants from Liquor and Gaming NSW’s Club Grants infrastructure funding scheme to install a synthetic playing field at Norman Griffiths Oval – a decade-long project since plagued with delays, cost blowouts, probity concerns and community and environmental opposition.

Henskens said at the time the new field would “particularly benefit the local football competition”.

Despite a statutory caretaker period restricting making major decisions four weeks before the December 2021 local government elections, General Manager John McKee and Cr Cedric Spencer signed off on the design and construction contract with builders TurfOne for Norman Griffiths Oval on November 11, 2021.

Nearly two years later in September 2024, it is alleged that MP Alister Henskens sent a text message congratulating councillors the morning after the final attempt to dismiss McKee. At the same time Mayor Sam Ngai wrote a letter thanking McKee for his service.

Henskens recently revealed that a significant number of councillors, including Cr Cedric Spencer, had privately told him before the September 2021 text exchange that they were unhappy with McKee’s performance. This is despite Mr John McKee’s performance reviews, during his tenure, being described as “without exception, above expectations on each occasion”.

Recently, on 26 May 2026, Henskens spoke in the NSW Parliament urging Ku-ring-gai Council to push ahead with its controversial synthetic turf project in parliament.

Mr Alister Henskens has denied any wrong doing.

Read full Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) article: The state MP, the new mayor, and the messages to ‘get rid of’ a council CEO’ by Cindy Yin, May 29, 2026 HERE


Read SMH article It began with one simple oval: Inside the $20 million saga plaguing a Sydney council

Timeline:

29 May, 2026	Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) article: The state MP, the new mayor, and the messages to ‘get rid of’ a council CEO’ by Cindy Yin, HERE This article returns to a speech made by Alister Henskens in November 2021 due to investigations into text messages exchanged between Alister Henskens and newly elected Mayor Cedric Spencer during that exact period. The leaks reveal Henskens privately nudged the mayor regarding plans to terminate the council’s long-serving General Manager, John McKee, a move that closely coincided with his public denouncements in parliament.
26 May 2024	Alister Henskens makes speech to NSW Parliament: Ku-ring-gai Council Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (18:33): I do not speak in this place about local government matters in my electorate unless they have a connection to State Government matters. The last time that I spoke about Ku-ring-gai Council in the House was November 2021, but today I raise some matters of concern. In 2016—without notifying me—Ku-ring-gai Council, together with West Pymble Football Club, applied for a State government grant to change the playing surface at Norman Griffiths Oval, which is owned by the council, converting it into artificial grass. Without my involvement, the council and football club secured that grant. As the local member of the Government providing the grant, in 2017 I stood and was photographed with the Minister, the then mayor and a group of under-10s players to announce the successful $500,000 State Government grant, to which another $250,000 was later added. Today in 2026 the project is only partly completed, the contractor has been sacked by the council and the $3 million initial sum to complete the project has now blown out to $20 million. The football club, West Pymble community and adjoining stakeholders, like the Bicentennial Club, are devastated by the delay. The council is still prevaricating and the primary schoolkids who I stood with in the 2017 photo when the State Government grant was announced are now at university. Despite attempts by anonymous people on social media to blame me for the appalling situation, my only involvement in the project was standing for a photo in 2017, listening to the views of the community and encouraging the council to get on with the project after the State Government gave the grant. The St Ives High School basketball court development has not received much media attention, but it tells a similar story. According to the council report dated 11 October 2017, Ku-ring-gai Council was in talks with the Department of Education in 2016—without my prior knowledge or involvement—about a joint use of local school facilities at Ku-ring-gai High School, St Ives High School and the Lindfield Learning Village. The proposal specifically related to the use of school land to jointly develop with council some indoor sports courts and synthetic hockey and football facilities. After that report to council, Ku-ring-gai Council applied for State Government grants in 2018, which I supported. The council was awarded $2.25 million for a synthetic hockey field and $3.5 million for the council to build two basketball courts, in addition to the two courts being built by the State Government at St Ives High School. But, as is so often the case, there were massive delays in delivery by Ku-ring-gai Council. The hockey field was only completed at Ku-ring-gai High School in 2024 and the two St Ives High School basketball courts provided by the council were opened in 2026 at a cost of $30 million. That means it took six years to replace an existing hockey surface and eight years to build two basketball courts, a car park and canteen. I had nothing to do with the St Ives High School courts project after 2019, when council rejected the opportunity to be part of the Department of Education construction contract. At the time, I received written advice from the education Minister that it would have cost the council $13.7 million to build its part of the project. The State Government rapidly completed its own part of the project in 2021 after the council decided to go it alone. The council’s part of the project was completed in early 2026 at a cost of $30 million, which is $16 million more than the $13.7 million that it would have cost if it had decided to join the State Government’s construction contract in 2019. With two projects initiated by the council securing State government grants with a total cost overrun of more than $33 million, what accountability for the extra ratepayer money is being taken by the elected or employed members of the council, especially those who have continuously served on the council during that period? Were any councillors responsible for overseeing those projects? Ku-ring-gai Council is now in the process of applying to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to increase residents’ rates by a huge 29 per cent to help pay for the $33 million of mismanagement of Norman Griffiths Oval and St Ives High School. All of that could cause the Bicentennial Club to close its doors due to the financial impact on its patronage. I urge Ku‑ring‑gai Council to prioritise the completion of the Norman Griffiths project, restore confidence in its processes and urgently deliver the facility that the community was promised.
November 2024	Cr Cedric Spencer charged over alleged threats he made towards a fellow councillor during a heated phone call
2023	Mr John McKee dismissed as General Manager after serving 17 years on Ku-ring-gai Council
21 January 2022	Cr Spencer is replaced as mayor by Cr Jeff Pettett
4 December 2021	Ku-ring-gai Council election In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the then Minister for Local Government announced the postponement of the elections, first to 4 September 2021 and subsequently to 4 December 2021.
21 November 2021	Member for Ku-ring-gai Alister Henskens delivered a highly publicised Private Members’ Statement criticising Ku-ring-gai Council. Alister Henskens declared that Ku-ring-gai Council had a “high degree of dysfunction and poor decision-making”. He reprimanded the council for failing to spend $6 million in NSW Government grants intended for upgrading local soccer and basketball facilities, noting work had not started three years after funding was awarded. He targeted then-Mayor Jennifer Anderson, stating she frequently used her casting vote to push the agenda of her specific bloc of councillors. He highlighted a severe gridlock where five councillors boycotted local meetings, causing nine consecutive council sessions to be cancelled throughout October and early November due to a lack of quorum.
Nov-Dec 2021	Half of the 10 councillors boycotted at least eight consecutive meetings
October 2021	Ku-ring-gai Council Extraordinary meeting with rumour that Ku-ring-gai Council will fire Mr John McKee as General Manager. Meeting does not proceed due to lack of a quorum.
21 September 2021	Cr Cedric Spencer is elected as Mayor at Ku-ring-gai Council mayoral elections. Cr Jennifer Anderson loses Mayoral election.
August 2021	Cr Cedric Spencer informed Wahroonga MP Mr Alister Henskens he would challenge the then mayor Cr Jennifer Anderson in the upcoming Ku-ring-gai Council mayoral elections (21.9.21)
2017	Henskens had announced $500,000 in grants from Liquor and Gaming NSW’s Club Grants infrastructure funding scheme to install a synthetic playing field at Norman Griffiths Oval
2006	Mr John McKee appointed as General Manager of Ku-ring-gai Council
1998	Mr John McKee joins Ku-ring-gai Council staff

29 May 2026