Sir Tim’s pick for deputy mayor defends him
THE man shouldertapped to be Invercargill’s new deputy mayor says it is no secret Sir Tim Shadbolt is ‘‘slowing down’’, but voters knew that when they elected him.
Nobby Clark was selected by Sir Tim as his deputy after Toni Biddle announced last week she was stepping down.
The nomination of Cr Clark comes amid a probe into the council by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), and after Cr Alex Crackett said Sir Tim was in ‘‘rapid decline’’ and suggested he should resign.
Cr Biddle said she was ‘‘not surprised at all’’ by the nomination.
‘‘But I’m not convinced my colleagues would accept that.’’
Cr Clark acknowledged that, due to Sir Tim’s situation, his position would be more handson than the position usually required, but he was prepared for that challenge.
‘‘There is no secret that Tim is slowing down, but people knew that before the last election and he got a significant majority, so people are OK with that.’’
He was more concerned with getting results than any personal conflict around the table.
‘‘People voted him in and until people vote him out, we should support each other and get work done for the city.’’
The announcement Cr Clark would be deputy mayor came days after Cr Crackett said Sir Tim was not up to being mayor.
She stood by this position yesterday, telling the Otago Daily Times she believed it was the right time for a double byelection as the city had an ‘‘absent mayor’’ and the process to replace Cr Biddle would cost ratepayers a ‘‘significant amount’’ of money.
Sir Tim was ‘‘often confused, struggles to keep up in meetings, increasingly speaks to topics which have no relevance, and has forgotten items of discussion within the hour’’, she said.
‘‘We have witnessed a rapid decline in his condition over the past three years. It is a real shame.’’
Sir Tim did not respond to questions from the ODT about Cr Crackett’s comments.
Cr Clark said he was uncomfortable with Cr Crackett’s comments, but did not want to comment further.
He was not worried by the DIA probe.
‘‘It is my understanding . . . what we have been asked to do is at the lower end of the scale.
‘‘I think we are many, many yards away from being replaced by a commissioner.’’
Despite the media attention, the council did ‘‘exceptionally well’’ in delivery of its core services and in its finances, he said.
The DIA told the ODT yesterday the council had appointed Richard Thomson to lead an independent governance review of its performance and to provide a plan to address its issues. It would be delivered to DIA early next month.
‘‘The department remains satisfied that the council is taking the appropriate steps towards identifying and resolving its issues.’’
In a statement, Sir Tim said he chose Cr Clark because he would bring with him strong stakeholder connections, significant community support and a desire to cut through red tape to get things done.
‘‘I am confident that councillors will respect my decision and the importance of appointing someone to the role whom I feel I am able to work proactively alongside.’’
Asked about the appointment, Cr Rebecca Amundsen said the council should look at the ‘‘big picture’’ given the process it was in with the DIA.
Cr Graham Lewis said he was ‘‘pretty ambivalent’’ about the appointment.
Cr Lindsay Abbott said the mayor had made his nomination but the council still needed to accept it.
Cr Crackett said she had not had time to think about the appointment, but whoever took the position would need to pick up the ‘‘slack from Tim’’.
Other councillors could not be reached for comment.
Mayors have been able to appoint deputy mayors since a law change in 2012 beefed up their powers.
However, in 2016, there was a standoff in Horowhenua after councillors voted to reject Mayor Michael Feyen’s choice as deputy mayor.
Mr Feyen backed down and accepted the councillors’ choice.
An Invercargill City Council spokeswoman said under the Local Government Act, the mayor had the power to appoint a deputy mayor and the council did not need to ratify the position. — Additional reporting Laura Smith