Battle heating up forGWseat
One seat. Two people. And this time, for one of them at least, it actually is personal.
The fight for the Greater Wellington Regional Council seat in Kapiti has kicked off with trash talk, accusations of lousy leadership, and an admission by the incumbent he just doesn’t like an opponent.
Kapiti Coast District councillor Penny Gaylor will run against Greater Wellington incumbent Nigel Wilson in October’s election.
Wilson said Gaylor had done little work in six years at the Kapiti council and she was a ‘‘grandstander’’ whose policy was to merely get elected.
‘‘I’ve made no secret about the fact I don’t like Penny Gaylor,’’ he said. ‘‘I think she represents everything that’s wrong with politics.’’
It came after Gaylor said she stood because Wilson’s leadership was ‘‘lacklustre’’ and he spent too much time beating up Kapiti’s council in the media, rather than talking about Greater Wellington.
She said there was a lack of follow-through by Wilson on concerns raised by community members. Wilson was a ‘‘seat warmer’’ at Greater Wellington, Gaylor said.
Wilson said he’d been a regional councillor for nine years and by most accounts had done a pretty good job.
‘‘I’ve been flat out for nine years.’’
He said Gaylor was seeking the Labour Party candidacy for the Otaki electorate, at the same time as running for the regional council. She could not do both, he said.
On whether she disliked Wilson, Gaylor said she was not get dragged into commenting on personalities and would be campaigning on issues, ‘‘end of comment’’.
Gaylor said said she was committed to her regional council campaign, but the the timing of the Labour candidacy for which she was standing was brought forward for early selection.
She said most people just wanted to vote for the best possible representative for Greater Wellington.
‘‘I say to people, ‘You know me, I work really hard for my community, and you decide where you want me to represent you’.’’
Greater Wellington’s jobs include running public transport, managing fresh and coastal waterways and flood protection.
Gaylor, Otaki councillor, would not stand for Kapiti Coast District Council, she said.