"A lot of people have indicated they want to support me, and I do appreciate that," said Cr Petch ahead of a fundraiser to help cover the cost of his legal bills to challenge the ICAC's findings.

"But I don't handle it, as you'd understand. It's got to be at arm's length."

When it comes to promoting such an event, it seems that arm belongs to him. The independent councillor and former state Liberal MP admitted  he had placed a print advertisement for a fundraiser at the Gladesville RSL only after being outed by the newspaper's owner - a man who was himself embroiled in the same corruption inquiry.

Cr Petch has been suspended from Ryde City Council since June when the ICAC delivered a series of corrupt conduct findings against him.

Among them, Cr Petch was found to have "deliberately" failed to disclose that he had loaned $250,000 to the owner of the Weekly Times, John Booth, when considering a motion to award the paper council advertising.

Cr Petch is now taking the ICAC to the Supreme Court - a fact promoted in the Weekly Times classified ad for the hour-long fundraiser on Friday night.

Entitled "Community Suport [sic] for Petch", it invites the people of Ryde "to assist Ivan Petch for his legal expenses for his ICAC Appeal". The appeal  is set down for a two-day hearing from October 22.

"Somebody's going to organise a fundraiser for me, they've been transparent, they put the ad in the paper so it's not a covert operation," said Cr Petch, who added he expected vindication and a bill of more than $100,000 from the legal challenge.

However, Cr Petch was later forced to admit that he himself was behind the advertisement after Mr Booth told Fairfax Media that "as far as I'm aware" Cr Petch was the person who had placed the notice.

"I haven't paid for it yet," Cr Petch said before hanging up.

Cr Petch was one of five Ryde councillors that ICAC found had accepted indirect campaign contributions in the form of advertisements in the paper in the lead-up to the 2012 local government elections.

The watchdog recommended each be considered for prosecution for doing so, along with Mr Booth who gave "false and misleading evidence" by claiming that election advertising published in his paper was paid for by Barry O'Grady, a retired nurse who died before last year's public hearing.

Mr Booth, who is still paying back the loan from Cr Petch, said he supported his legal challenge but would not be attending the fundraiser.

"I did see the date but it wasn't convenient for me," he said.

Labor's local government spokeswoman, Sophie Cotsis said it was "outrageous" the government had still not acted on ICAC's recommendation that Cr Petch be dismissed.

"The Liberals' standards for intervening in councils appear totally arbitrary," Ms Cotsis said.

Local Government Minister Paul Toole said Cr Petch had commenced a judicial review of ICAC's findings and "due process must be followed".