Bathurst Regional Council Mayor Bobby Bourke resigns over blackmail allegations

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Bathurst Regional Council Mayor Bobby Bourke has resigned after the CBA revealed allegations of his involvement in an apparent blackmail attempt.

ABC’s 7:30 a.m. show on Wednesday revealed that Councilor Jacqui Rudge received a letter in March last year threatening to publicly expose her mental health issues unless she resigns.

She claimed that Mr. Bourke provided the letter, which is now the subject of a police investigation, to an employee who posted it on his behalf.

Mr. Bourke reportedly told detectives that he arranged for the letter to be sent on behalf of someone else, but denies writing it or knowing what it said.

Find more local news ‘In the best interest of the people’: Bourke

In a statement released Friday afternoon, Bourke said he denied any instances of intimidation or threats.

He said it would be in the “best interest of the people of the Bathurst area and all concerned” but that he would remain on the board until the September election.

“In the meantime, I will continue to act in the best interests of our Bathurst Regional Council and our community,” he said.

Deputy Councilor-Mayor Ian North will assume the post of interim mayor, until a special meeting can be held for councilors to elect a new mayor in the coming weeks.

The police investigation is continuing.

“The Right Thing To Do”: Rudge

Councilor Jacqui Rudge called Cr Bourke’s resignation “a good thing to do”.

But she was hoping for more details about her alleged involvement.

“Personally, I would like the mayor to give information about the alleged author of the letter, so that we can indeed put this whole horrible saga to bed,” she said.

“I think it has to happen.”

Cr Rudge denied that his revelations were scheduled to coincide with the upcoming election.

“It’s not what I wanted, I didn’t want to go this route,” she said.

The Local Government Office and Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock both declined to comment due to the ongoing police investigation.

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