Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has confirmed he understood David Edwards had recently been found to have committed misconduct before finalising his contract as CEO of the city.
The ABC reported Edwards has been found to have used staff to undertake errands and manage his personal affairs, as well as having failed to declare conflicts of interest regarding his role in hiring for the Queensland Department of Innovation and Tourism Industry Development.
In a statement, Edwards says he totally rejects both the allegations and conduct of the investigation.
Gold Coast Councillor Glenn Tozer says he was not aware of the misconduct finding and it wasn’t discussed during deliberations over choosing the new CEO.