Gingin Councillor who allegedly received threatening voicemails to resign

The Gingin councillor who allegedly received threatening voice messages to his phone has announced he will resign from council.

Lincoln Stewart has sat on council since 2023 but said he was resigning to be able to speak his mind freely and focus on legal proceedings.

In a statement, Mr Stewart expressed his frustration with the current system.

“Resigning from council will allow me to tell the truth about everything without being dragged through a LG (local government) complaints process that is biased and broken,” he said.

He also pledged to file his own civil lawsuit against individuals he said were using their positions to “cause disadvantage to myself and other individuals”.

He did not specify which individuals he was referring to.

It is understood Mr Stewart is the councillor who police allege has received threatening phone calls sent by Steve Balcombe, the husband of Gingin shire president Linda Balcombe.

Mr Balcombe made his first appearance at Midland Court on Tuesday, the case was adjourned until mid-March.

The one-time independent Senate candidate is also locked in a civil legal battle over what he says are discrepancies in the Gingin local government election last year.