The childish row between lady mayors that has rocked a ritzy suburb – as local icon storms out with a bitter farewell spray : ‘You are so mean!’

A heated row between female councillors and the mayor in one of Australia’s wealthiest areas has spiralled out of control, sparking accusations of ‘North Korean’ tactics and an angry resignation.

Famous former mayor of North Sydney, Jilly Gibson, felt that a posh shopping centre should be named after her, with a plaque or even a bust of her.

But after hours of praise at her last council meeting, things turned ‘nastily’ out of hand when the proposal was rejected by her ‘political enemy’ and she stormed out.

Gibson’s supporters had proposed naming the new Burton Street Plaza in Kirribilli Village, adjacent to the Harbour Bridge on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, after the woman who devoted 25 years of service to local government.

Surrounded by her grandchildren, friends and a mountain of bouquets, Gibson enjoyed the celebration in the packed council chamber, where tears of joy were shed.

But just when it seemed that naming the shopping centre after her was a done deal, the new mayor of North Sydney, Zoe Baker, called for a vote on the proposal.

There was hostility between the new mayor and her predecessor, with Gibson claiming Baker was not democratically elected, worked only “part-time” and had restrictive social media policies that were “more North Korea than North Sydney.”

When it came time to vote, Baker and a majority of council members voted against it, at which point Gibson exploded.

“What an ending,” she cried. “They just defeated the amendment to name a small square after me.

‘No heart. No heart.’

Carrying her funeral flowers, Gibson broke council protocol and shouted directly at her nemesis: “You can warn me all you want, Mayor – that was mean.”

“This is the meanest council ever. I’m leaving. You guys are so mean, you guys are so mean, you guys are so mean,” she said, fleeing the council chamber onto leafy Miller Street.

On Thursday morning, Google Maps showed that the square on Burton Street had been renamed “Jilly’s Plaza.”

The name and location pin were removed within hours of reportedly being reported to Google, but a copy of the temporary name is still immortalized in a screenshot posted on Jilly Gibson’s Facebook page, Kirribilli Connections.

It was a fitting and action-packed end to Jilly Gibson’s council career, which saw her become an independent mayor in 2012 and be re-elected in 2017.

Jilly, the ex-wife of the late veteran sports commentator and columnist Mike Gibson, is a well-known public figure in the 14 suburbs of the North Sydney LGA.

Her council biography praises her work in revitalising the North Sydney CBD, with events, art and the redevelopment of public spaces including Brett Whiteley Place, in honour of the late famous painter.

In her farewell speech, ahead of the surprise rejection and Gibson’s dramatic departure, Gibson spoke of her triumphs and regrets, including the controversy over the $58 million renovation of the famous North Sydney swimming pool next to Luna Park.

“Sometimes I think local government is a preschool for bullies who end up in the federal and state governments,” Gibson said, according to Nine Newspapers.

Gibson’s partner, Dr Martin Williams, read tributes from former Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at her farewell meeting and there were calls for Hayes Beach in Neutral Bay to be renamed ‘Jilly’s Beach’.

He even serenaded Gibson with Scottish poet Robbie Burns’ love poem A Red, Red Rose, in a Glaswegian accent.

Renowned gynaecologist Keith Hartman paid tribute to her, as did Trent Zimmerman, former federal MP for North Sydney.

According to Councilman James Spenceley, who suggested the fateful name “Jilly’s Plaza,” Gibson’s “grandchildren talked about how hard she had worked and how proud they were of her” and “there weren’t many dry eyes in the packed meeting room.”

Spenceley later described what happened next on Facebook as “incredibly shocking and disappointing.”

He said that minutes from the last council meeting before the local elections gave ‘little to no recognition of Jilly’s long tenure and commitment over a quarter of a century’.

“The council has failed the entire community,” he wrote. “By blocking that small honor and recognition we have (simply) not done the right thing, we have not represented human nature and the community.”

Ms Gibson has been vocal about the way North Sydney City Council has been run since she was voted out as mayor. In April she posted a video on Facebook entitled ‘Bring back a popularly chosen mayor’.

In the video she says that she was elected mayor by the community, but that the city council members have now chosen the mayor and that she finds that ‘less democratic’.

“The current mayor was elected by the city council by one vote,” she said.

‘That often leads to the mayor not working full-time, and that is what is now happening in the council.’

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Ms Baker said her job – like that of most mayors – is not a full-time position.

“I’m the elected official and there’s a stipend. The exception to the rule is mayors who don’t have another (working) life,” Ms. Baker said.

‘I work as a researcher at a law firm.’

Earlier this month, Ms Gibson criticised the council’s new social media policy, which she said was “clearly aimed at me”.

The policy requires civil servants to use their full name with the word “councillor” on their social media accounts, along with a “clearly recognisable” profile photo.

“It’s personal, it’s political, and it’s just absurd,” she said. “I don’t want to be cynical, but the timing is strange.”

She called it a serious attack on freedom of expression and said it was something residents generally disliked.

“It’s very unusual,” she said. “They don’t have councils in North Korea, but it’s more North Korean than North Sydney Council. It’s very restrictive, it’s very burdensome.”

Ms Gibson recently sold her $4 million Kirribilli waterfront apartment to move to Mosman and has indicated she is considering running for Mosman City Council in the future.

She has been campaigning to ensure that Pallavi Sinha becomes the new Mayor of North Sydney.