A former City of Gosnells councillor has resigned in dramatic circumstances after it was revealed he has been charged with stalking.
Former councillor Ken Ashwin is scheduled to appear before the Armadale Magistrates Court next week on a charge of Pursues another to Intimidate.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison as well as fines.
Mr Ashwin ran for the role of mayor of the City of Gosnells during the 2023 Local Government elections in October last year.
The mayoral position was retained by the incumbent mayor Terresa Lynes who won with 16,519 votes taking out nearly 72 per cent of the popular vote, as opposed to Mr Ashwin’s 6,429 votes or just over 28 per cent of the popular vote.
Mr Ashwin’s large number of votes was enough to secure him a position on the City of Gosnells council at the time.
Eagle-eyed council observers may have noticed a hole in the listing of councillors at the City of Gosnells recently, but that hole has now been filled.
Mr Ashwin’s resignation made way for the candidate with the next-highest number of votes, Kylie Dalton, to fill the vacancy.
Examiner Newspapers contacted the City of Gosnells, which issued a media release saying nothing about the impending court case, but said Mr Ashwin cited health and family reasons for his resignation.
Mr Ashwin’s charges are related to a separate matter and are not connected to the council.
When contacted by Examiner Newspapers, Mr Ashwin would not comment on the reasons for his resignation.
Cr Dalton was sworn in on Wednesday night.
Gosnells mayor Terresa Lynes said she welcomed Cr Dalton to council.
“My fellow councillors and I look forward to working with Cr Dalton to represent and serve the City of Gosnells community,” she said.
The appointment of Cr Dalton is in line with recent changes to the Local Government Act, which allow the next-highest-voted candidate to backfill the position on council without the need for another election.
