Standing ovation for CEO
Palmerston North’s retiring city council chief executive has been credited with turning the council’s finances and community relationships around in a decade in the top job.
Paddy Clifford attended his final council meeting on Monday, ahead of his last day in the office on May 31.
Long-serving councillor Jim Jefferies, who was also acting mayor for four months before Grant Smith was elected, said Clifford had been a treasure to work with.
He said when Clifford arrived, he uncovered the dire state of the council’s finances, ‘‘which was quite a shock to me at the time’’.
Jefferies said the malaise ran deeper than rising debt and budget struggles.
‘‘Our relationship with a wide range of groups was at a pretty low ebb.’’
Fellow councillor Lew Findlay said Clifford had led efforts to right the books, rebuild community relationships, and improve the way councillors worked.
‘‘The council was divided, fighting, and did not like each other. Today we might not like each other, but we do not fight.’’
Smith said Clifford had faced a great challenge and worked incredibly hard bringing the council from a time of an 11 per cent rates rise, to the 2.9 per cent increase forecast for next year.
He said his management style, his ‘‘soft skills’’ in relationships and experience in local government meant his opinions and advice were greatly respected.
Clifford said he felt it was the right time to leave, when the council was in good shape, the city was flourishing, and the next review of the council’s long term plan for the future was coming up.
He said the mayors he worked with, office staff and managers and city councillors had all worked together to achieve great results.
He was honoured with a standing ovation by a who’s-who of Manawatu community leaders, including MP Iain Lees-galloway, regional mayors, police and army representatives.
The council commissioned a Jack Register painting as its gift, and Rangitane gave him a putatara (conch shell).