It's a webcam recording of the council meeting, up to, and including, when Councillor Giacomo Arnott was voted out by his fellow councillors, and eventually leaves with police.

Cr Arnott was removed for what Mayor Ryan Palmer called "disorderly conduct" - the term that appears in the Local Government Act that precipitates any moves to have a councillor removed.

We know how Cr Palmer defined disorderly conduct because of the webcam. He warned Cr Arnott if he continued making "smart arse remarks" the council would "put forward a motion to remove you".

Only a few seconds later, after Cr Arnott says the word "Delighted" and rolls his eyes, Cr Palmer initiates the motion for removal because Cr Arnott had "(made) these faces".

What is striking about events last Tuesday night is how low-key they were. Raised voices were missing. There was no pounding of tables. Cr Arnott challenged the basis on which he was removed but when police arrived he packed up his things and walked out with him.

If that's the bar at which disorderly conduct is set by Port Stephens Council, then all councillors and all members of the public should be concerned.

And that's the point of Cr Arnott's code of conduct complaint to the council, which he has copied to the Office of Local Government and the Local Government Minister. It's also the point of Port Stephens MP Kate Washington's letter to Office of Local Government chief executive Tim Hurst, asking for an investigation.

It is an extreme step to call the police into any level of government where people elected to represent the public are required - obligated - to question and challenge decisions made on the community's behalf.

Discussions are expected to be robust at times, but respectful. Disorderly conduct leading to forced removal from a council chamber, by police, should be conduct that a mayor is unable to address or control. Given that the code of meeting practice relied on by the council to remove Cr Arnott, is also the code that allows police to be called to remove members of the public, it is in everyone's interest to have last week's incident properly reviewed.

It is a positive that Cr Palmer has subsequently described the calling of police as "very unfortunate" and "regrettable". It is also a positive that he believes councillors should review the code in light of events.

Local government is the level of government that is closest to the people. It is democracy in action closest to where we live. It matters. Calling police to remove an elected representative under any circumstances is something we should all be concerned about.

Issue: 39,478.