Councillor slams ‘dirty politics’

An elected councillor who came under fire for taking annual leave during a council meeting has slammed the colleague who criticised the move, labelling it ‘‘dirty politics’’.

Manawatu¯ District Council’s deputy mayor Michael Ford, veteran councillor Howard Voss and first-term councillors Phil Marsh and Stuart Campbell came under the spotlight for missing a Manawatu¯ District Council committee meeting on October 5, which left fellow councillor Andrew Quarrie ‘‘disappointed for the district’’.

Ford and Voss took exception to an article published by Stuff that voiced Quarrie’s concerns.

In the article, Quarrie said councillors had an obligation to attend every meeting and should schedule requests for leave around those commitments.

Ford said Quarrie’s approach to Stuff was ‘‘below the line’’ in a council meeting on Thursday.

‘‘We all agreed to play above the line and not get involved in dirty politics,’’ he said. ‘‘It is certainly dirty on Facebook now.’’

Quarrie said he stood by his comments, adding the level of annual leave granted was ‘‘excessive’’.

‘‘We are here to serve. We cannot serve if we are not around the table,’’ he said. ‘‘We are elected to be the peoples’ watchdog. Sadly we have to be each others’ watchdog as well.’’

While Ford’s deputy mayor remuneration was a little higher than his colleagues, he argued his hourly rate was lower.

‘‘I attend more unofficial council meetings than official meetings,’’ he said. ‘‘No one is rorting the system or receiving remuneration that hasn’t been earned.’’

Ford’s recent five-week holiday around Eastern Europe was his first extended break since 1983, he said.

‘‘I averaged about 1000 hours [a year] of mostly voluntary work for this community ... so I am confident that the ratepayers have had pretty good value out of me for a rather long time.’’

Voss, a farmer near Longburn with 17 years of council experience, had the worst record, missing nine meetings.

Despite his attendance record, Voss said his commitment to the council was ‘‘unquestionable’’.

He missed six meetings while away on a business trip throughout the council’s Annual Plan submissions and deliberations in May. He was forced to confirm the booking before the outcome of last year’s local body elections.

‘‘I didn’t know if I’d be reelected.’’

Councillors granted him annual leave without any questions, Voss said.

‘‘Being a councillor is a parttime position and I do have a life outside of this chamber.

‘‘If my integrity or commitment are under scrutiny here then consider this; I read all meeting papers and the number of questions I ask, let alone the queries I take directly to the reporting officer outside of these meetings, is a testament to this.’’

December and January - when councillors were expected to take leave - was the busiest time of the year for farmers, Voss said.

Ford, a real estate agent, prefered evening meetings. Day meetings were not sustainable for business owners or those in fulltime employment.

‘‘I have accepted the timing of meetings, knowing that it is inevitable that a small few will clash with work commitments. If I am to be criticised, I want the time of meetings [reviewed].’’