Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has told Commonwealth Games organising committee boss Peter Beattie to stay out of a debate over tickets purchased for council by the city's chief executive.
A leaked email over the weekend revealed Gold Coast City Council CEO Dale Dickson had authorised the purchase of hundreds of tickets for next year's Games for councillors to use for city promotion or advocacy.
Cr Tate has ordered a review into the purchase to make sure council staff aren't receiving ratepayer-funded "freebies".
Mr Beattie, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) chairman, made a scathing attack of the purchase on Monday and also labelled the leak of the email as an "act of bastardry" designed to undermine Mr Dickson.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Cr Tate said Mr Beattie should focus on delivering the Games and leave council matters alone.
"To mingle within the council and try to reprimand councillors that's beyond his brief," Cr Tate told reporters.
"Apart from that, he's beyond his political use by date ... the tart is overcooked.
"Chuck the tart out and just behave and deliver the best Games you can because if you don't, I'll be asking the premier let's get a new tart."
Mr Beattie said he made "no apologies" for attempting to protect the reputation of the Games as organisers try to sell the remaining 250,000 tickets.
"GOLDOC has a no free tickets policy and our focus is to ensure maximum tickets are available for the general public to purchase," he said in a statement to AAP.
"I strongly recommend everyone move on and focus on delivering an outstanding event in 2018."
Cr Tate said while he would be attending some Games events in an official capacity himself, he had also bought public ballot tickets.
"I don't think ratepayers should be buying me tickets to various sports outside my official duties," he said.
"Other pollies shouldn't get free tickets nor should senior council management get any freebies either.
"It's not right and, dare I say it, 'it doesn't pass the pub test'."
Mr Tate said he had directed Mr Dickson to provide him a detailed list of what tickets were bought for who and for how much.
"I'll then decide what are the genuine advocacy opportunities and what are not," he said.
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