Elected officials missing in action
Four councillors who took annual leave during a council meeting have left one of their colleagues feeling ‘‘disappointed for the district’’.
Among those who missed the Manawatu¯ District Council’s strategic planning and policy committee meeting on Thursday were deputy mayor Michael Ford, veteran councillor Howard Voss and first-term councillors Phil Marsh and Stuart Campbell.
They were granted annual leave by their fellow councillors, with Andrew Quarrie the only one opposing the vote.
Ford, Voss, Marsh and Campbell did not respond to requests for comment.
The poor showing left the council table looking light on Thursday, with only seven turning up. A quorum is six councillors – the majority of its 11 members.
Of the 23 meetings this year, most councillors have an attendance score of 90 per cent or higher.
Quarrie is the only councillor to have attended every meeting.
Voss, a farmer near Longburn, with 17 years of council experience, missed nine meetings, the worst recorded.
Throughout the council’s Annual Plan submissions and deliberations in May, Voss was on holiday with his family, missing six meetings. This is followed by Campbell and Ford, who have both missed four.
Councillors had an obligation to attend every meeting and should schedule requests for leave around those commitments, Quarrie said.
‘‘I pay a sizeable amount of rates and I’m quite annoyed by it, actually,’’ he said.
‘‘Half of them haven’t been there a full year yet.
‘‘That’s why you stand. I don’t mind if they’re taking time off and they can justify it to themselves and ratepayers, but the ones that are missing all have senior appointments.’’
It’s understood that Ford is in Eastern Europe for six weeks.
Mayor Helen Worboys believed the four in question were justified in taking leave.
‘‘Sometimes it doesn’t work for councillors to take leave in December and January.
‘‘It’s a busy time on the farm.’’ She said leave requests were approved by the council and any problems should be dealt with in that forum.
‘‘There is a process. It’s approved through a publicly notified meeting.’’
Worboys said Voss had booked a family trip before the Annual Plan process and it could not be changed.
She also said Ford went ‘‘far and above’’ the expectations of a councillor and had maintained communication through email.
Chief executive Richard Templer said limiting leave requests to one or two at a time seemed unnecessary.
‘‘That is a decision for council. It is proposed, discussed, moved, seconded and then passed or not passed.’’
Worboys said councillors discussed annual leave at a recent workshop.
It was decided that, from 2018, the July council meeting would be pushed back to allow councillors the opportunity to take leave.
They are otherwise urged to take it in January, when there are no council meetings.
How many meetings missed?
Howard Voss – nine; Michael Ford – four; Stuart Campbell – four; Phil Marsh – two; Hilary Humphrey – two; Steve Bielski – two; Alison Short – two; Shane Casey – one; Barbara Cameron – one; and Andrew Quarrie – none.