John Abi-Saab
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John Abi-Saab (1932-) was born in Lebanon and was elected to the Hastings Council on the Mid North Coast in 1965.
In 1969 he was elected Deputy Shire President, and in 1970 was elected Shire President. He held this position for 10 years, making him the longest serving president in the history of the Hastings. John Abi-Saab was recognised with an award from the Queen for Service to the Community.
During this time John Abi-Saab was elected a board member of the Oxley County Council (Electricity) for a 3 year term. He was appointed a member of the North Coast Regional Development Board which extended from Newcastle to the Queensland border.
He initiated the creation of a separate region for the Mid North Coast, with headquarters in the Hastings; this is still in operation. In 1980, John was elected a member of the amalgamated Hastings Council, where he served his full term, resigning in 1983.
John presided over the early implementation of the Timbertown Tourist Project and Re-creation of the Sawmilling Village of early settlers of the Hastings of the 1880s. He was actively involved in all stages of the development until its completion and Official Opening by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Arthur Roden Cutler.
In 1973, John Abi-Saab led a delegation of Wauchope Rotary Club and Citizens to Canisteo, Wauchope's Sister City in the United States, where he received the Sister City Award, in the Reader's Digest "People to People" program.
However, Abi-Saab relocated to Strathfield and became a controversial councillor and mayor of Strathfield Council. It is alleged that Abi-Saab was involved in an elaborate plot to unseat the Mayor of Strathfield, Alfred Tsang by conspiring to blackmail Tsang with a video recording of Mr Tsang receiving a cash bribe. This allegation was referred to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The ICAC inquiry concluded that Abi-Saab facilitated the blackmail and intended to install himself as the new Mayor and have Tsang remain as a Councillor so his vote could be controlled by Abi-Saab.
The ICAC report in 2005 recommended that Abi-Saab be charged with blackmail by threat to publish; for wilfully making false statements to mislead the ICAC; for giving false and misleading evidence at an ICAC hearing; and for procuring the giving of false testimony at an ICAC hearing. ICAC concluded that Abi-Saab's blackmail attempt was carried out following two Mayoral Minutes Mr Tsang brought to Council in June and July 2004 which recommended removing proposed zoning changes and planned increases to floor space ratios in Strathfield South. The passing of the two Mayoral Minutes adversely affected the interests of a number of developers including Mr Saklaoui and Anne Bechara, both associates of Abi-Saab.
