Kelliher puts name forward
FORMER Otago Regional Council member Gary Kelliher has announced he is standing for the byelection for the Dunstan constituency.
The byelection was triggered by the death of councillor Maggie Lawton last month. Cr Lawton’s daughter, Ella Lawton, announced last week she would also run for the seat.
In last October’s election, Mr Kelliher, who had served one term on the ORC, missed out on one of the three Dunstan seats by just five votes, being beaten by Michael Laws, of Cromwell.
Mr Kelliher had applied to a district court judge for a recount, but his application was denied.
Mr Kelliher, who farms in the Manuherikia Valley, near Alexandra, said yesterday the circumstances that had created the need for the byelection were tragic.
‘‘I had much respect for Maggie Lawton in the short time that I knew her.’’
Since the byelection was announced, Mr Kelliher said he had been ‘‘overwhelmed’’ by the number of people in Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes district who had encouraged him to stand.
He said his previous term on council had shown him there was ‘‘much left to do, with the region entering a critical period of substantial change in the spaces of water quality, water quantity, air and pests’’.
‘‘It is extremely important that the region has strong representation at the council table’’.
Mr Kelliher is also the deputy chairman of the Manuherikia Catchment Water Strategy Group.
He said as well as farming near Alexandra, his family also
❛ . . . much left to do, with the region entering
a critical period of substantial change in the spaces of water quality, water quantity,
air and pests❜
had property in Wanaka and dated ‘‘back to the earliest settlers there. Several streets bear the families’ names.’’
He said some of those encouraging him to stand in the byelection were concerned at the Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult and Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) chief executive officer Mike Theelen being reported as publicly supporting Ella Lawton’s decision to resign as a QLDC councillor midterm, and the ‘‘cost and uncertainty’’ this would place on both councils and ratepayers.
Under the Local Electoral Act a member of a local authority is not allowed to be a candidate in an election for a regional council, and viceversa.
A byelection for Ella Lawton’s Wanaka ward seat will be triggered once she resigns.
When contacted by the Otago Daily Times, former ORC councillor Gerry Eckhoff said he would not stand in the byelection.
‘‘I had nine years of utter frustration at the ORC and I can’t see why I should put myself through another two and ahalf years. With issues like wilding pines, I just couldn’t get any traction.’’
Mr Eckhoff also said he did not want to split the vote.
He supported Mr Kelliher’s candidacy, and said it was vital someone from a rural background, such as Mr Kelliher, represented the Dunstan region on the ORC.
Nominations for the Dunstan byelection close at noon on April 24.
pam.jones@odt.co.nz