Two Councillors To Vie For Mayoralty
Two councillors say they intend to contest the Whakatāne district mayoralty at this year's local body elections while two others are considering it.
Te Urewera general ward councillor Andrew Iles and Whakatāne-Ōhope general ward councillor Nandor Tanczos have both announced their intentions to vie for the mayoralty.
Mayor Victor Luca has also said he will run for second term as mayor.
Meanwhile, two other sitting members, Kapu Te Rangi Māori ward councillor Toni Boynton and Rangitaiki general ward councillor Wilson James say they are giving the mayoralty strong consideration but are not prepared to make a commitment at this stage.
Deputy mayor Lesley Immink and councillors Gavin Dennis, Julie Jukes, Tu O'Brien and Ngapera Rangiaho have said, while they will be seeking another term on the council, they are not planning to stand for mayor.
Councillor John Pullar has said he will be retiring after the election in October.
Mr Iles, a retired dairy farmer and businessman, has been a Waimana local for over 40 years and told Local Democracy Reporting he intended to lead a council with a focus on affordability and a back-to-basics approach.
'I understand the hurt that people are going through with rates. I'm very aware of rates affordability. As a council, our priority should be in our basic infrastructure, like water, sewerage, footpaths, roads, rubbish collection, as opposed to the nice-to-haves.'
"Swimming pools, museums and libraries are an integral part of society, but it comes down to affordability across all levels of the community.
As an example, he is opposed to spending $100 million-plus on the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub redevelopment.
'I'm not knocking a Rex Morpeth Park upgrade. What I'm saying is that it's a nice-to-have. If we can attract external funding, I'm happy to support it.
With six terms on council under his belt, he feels he has the experience needed for the role.
'You're just the one vote at the end of the day. I believe as mayor you have to lead a team that you can sit down with, negotiate and say, 'this is where we need to limit our rates rise to'. The elected members need to set the direction they want a long-term plan to follow rather than the staff leading.
'I have leadership ability, and I am also a team player. I've had a term as deputy mayor, I know what the pressures are like. I know what the demands on you are and that's something that I'm quite capable of stepping up to. I've chaired standing committees; I've represented the district on a national level when I collected the Best Town awards as chairman of Keep Whakatāne District Beautiful Committee.
Since 2004, Mr Iles has spent five terms as the Waimana-Tāneatua councillor, only losing the seat to Ian Shearer at the 2007 election, and one as Te Urewera general ward councillor.
With 18 years' experience in politics, both in Parliament and on council, Mr Tanczos says he is the person needed to lead Whakatāne District Council through its next term.
The Whakatāne-Ōhope ward councillor is standing for mayor at this year's local elections.
'First of all, I think that Whakatāne needs a mayor who knows how to get things done,' he said.
With Central Government policies rocking local council with a host of reforms, he feels he has the political nouce to steer the council through it all.
'With my political experience, I've had nine years in Parliament and nine years, now in local government, I know how to make real achievements, and I know how to bat for our district, in Wellington if need be.'
He said he will not run for any other council position.
'I won't be standing for council; I will only be standing for mayor.
'The last three years have been frustrating. We haven't, as a council, really done much in the last three years except grow our operating deficit.
'I'd like to see less words and more action. We need a mayor who is going to get on top of the financials. I can bring people together, I can build coalitions, I can achieve real gains. You just have to look at my record, both as an MP and on council.
As a Green MP from 1999 to 2008, Mr Tanczos was spokesperson on environment, justice, constitutional issues, drug policy and IT.
During his first two terms on council Mr Tanczos has chaired the strategy and policy committee and was the political force behind the council's Climate Change Strategy.
With nominations opening on July 4, councillors Toni Boynton and Wilson James both say they plan to stand for their current council position and are seriously considering standing for mayor at the upcoming election.
Ms Boynton said she will be standing for her current role as Kapu Te Rangi ward councillor. She has been approached to stand for the mayoralty and is considering doing so.
'Whoever is running for council, we really need someone who is capable of championing the district,' she said.
Mr James said he had spent a lot of time in governance roles and would like council meetings to be more focused on strategy and direction and less on operational matters.
'If someone comes to me with an issue [on an operational matter] I will go and work in the background with the team and get it sorted rather than clog up a meeting with it.
Local body election nominations open on July 4 and close at noon on August 1. Voting begins September 9 and closes on October 10.
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