Coolgardie CEO made ‘personal choice’ to resign amid ongoing investigation into allegations against him

The Shire of Coolgardie has officially accepted the resignation of chief executive James Trail — but an investigation into allegations made against him would continue. In response to questions from the Kalgoorlie Miner, a shire spokesperson on Wednesday said Mr Trail’s decision to resign was a “personal choice” and “only he can answer this question” about why he chose to quit at this time. Asked when the investigation was expected to be complete, the spokesperson said the independent investigator, PSL Legal, had not provided the shire with an expected timeline. The spokesperson said acting chief executive Aaron Cook would continue in the role and the shire would undertake external recruitment for a new chief executive “once the organisation has settled into it’s new direction”. Mr Trail was suspended during a special council meeting in November. In a statement released after the meeting, the shire noted no allegations against Mr Trail — who was appointed to the role in 2016 — had yet been substantiated, and all concerned parties would have an opportunity to participate in the investigation. Mr Trail submitted his notice of resignation to shire president Malcolm Cullen last Thursday, which was formally acknowledged at Tuesday’s special council meeting. Cr Cullen said the outcome provided the council with an opportunity to move forward and address the shire’s dire financial situation. “This outcome marks a turning point as it provides council with the opportunity to move forward and give our full attention to the shire’s recovery plan,” he said. A report at last month’s council meeting revealed the shire’s 2024-25 budget closing deficit would not be $627,000 as initially forecast but almost $6.64 million — a blowout of more than $6m. After the meeting, Cr Cullen said projects and services would have to be cut, and rates might have to rise in future years, to help rectify the financial crisis. The shire this month restructured its loans to free up cash, and also borrowed an extra $4m from the ANZ to pay creditors.