Shadbolt’s delegate suggestion met with silence
Sir Tim Shadbolt’s suggestion that mayors should represent councils at a local government conference was met with a wall of silence from his colleagues.
Councils are requested to appoint a presiding delegate and up to three alternate delegates who can vote at the Local Government New Zealand AGM on behalf of council.
Almost all councils appoint their mayor as their presiding delegate.
However, the Invercargill council has moved away in recent years from appointing Shadbolt as its delegate.
At a meeting on Tuesday the matter was raised again as to who would be Invercargill’s presiding delegate for this year’s LGNZ AGM, which will be held via zoom.
During the discussions, Shadbolt suggested it should be the mayor. ‘‘I think traditionally the mayor should be the presiding delegate,’’ he said.
However, that suggestion did not receive any backing, or even prompt any discussion.
Cr Darren Ludlow, who was chairing the meeting, eventually asked who was interested in the delegate’s role.
Ludlow confirmed he was keen, while deputy mayor Nobby Clark and infrastructural services chairperson Ian Pottinger said they were unavailable on that date.
Shadbolt never put his hand up to indicate his interest.
It was eventually decided Ludlow would be the presiding delegate, and Cr Alex Crackett the alternate. The pair held the same duties last year as well.
Shadbolt said, outside the meeting, that he ‘‘relented to let the chairs who were competing for status’’ and there ‘‘weren’t any pressing remits which I strongly felt that I wanted to have input on’’. During the meeting, Ludlow pointed out it was simply a case of appointing someone to vote on remits on behalf of the council. Those remits would have already been discussed at council prior to the AGM. Crackett will also represent the Invercargill council alongside chief executive Clare Hadley at a Rural and Provincial Sector Group meeting in Wellington today. Last year deputy mayor Nobby Clark was chosen to attend a three-day Local Government
New Zealand South Island conference instead of Shadbolt.
At the time Shadbolt suggested not sending the mayor was ‘‘circumventing democracy’’.
Shadbolt still attended the LGNZ AGM last year which sparked some discussions around a rental car he hired.
Shadbolt and the council chairs committee, which Ludlow is part of, clashed in June last year over Shadbolt’s request for the rental car in Blenheim.
Shadbolt went ahead with getting the rental car which prompted his own council to bill him in March for $378 for that rental car use. At the time, Shadbolt disputed he should have to pay it.
On Wednesday, The Southland Times asked council staff if the bill had been paid.
They responded that the invoice ‘‘is being paid by the mayor’’ and it was not overdue.