Arabic version: استقالة رئيسة بلدية مدينة ريدلاند جوس ميتشل بعد إجازة صحية

According to ABC News, Redland City Mayor Jos Mitchell has stepped down after months away from work, alleging she and her family were subjected to a “personalised, coordinated” smear campaign. Her resignation will trigger a by-election for the mayoralty.

Mitchell, a former police prosecutor, had been off work since May while dealing with what she described as “complex health conditions”. She said she had recently undergone major surgery and was navigating an autoimmune condition. Councillors had twice voted against her absence from meetings, and she had faced the prospect of being pushed out at the next month’s council meeting.

Elected as an independent in 2024, Mitchell defeated former Liberal MP Andrew Laming in a three-way mayoral contest, receiving 52 per cent of the first-preference vote. She succeeded Karen Williams, who did not contest the election after pleading guilty to drink driving following a 2022 crash.

In her statement, Mitchell said she had faced “concerted, ongoing resistance and attacks” since taking office and claimed her family’s cars had been vandalised. She also said a drone had hovered over their backyard and that her husband and daughter had been targeted online. Mitchell said the past two-and-a-half years had significantly affected her wellbeing and her family, adding that politicians needed “room and safety” to put people before party politics. Redland City Council and Local Government Minister Ann Leahy were contacted for comment.