Councillors united against Vandervis

FIERY Dunedin city councillor Lee Vandervis says he does not need help with anger management, but his colleagues have emphatically called on him to acknowledge his problem.

Councillor after councillor decried his behaviour when they debated yesterday whether he breached the Dunedin City Council’s code of conduct by shouting at and pointing his finger in the face of deputy mayor Christine Garey after a meeting on July 28.

Cr Vandervis was alone in justifying his actions.

Councillors presented a few arguments in his favour, but they were united in calling on the combative councillor to control his aggression.

A couple of them suggested he seek professional help.

Formally, Cr Vandervis has been asked to apologise unreservedly, in writing and publicly, for aggressive and intimidating behaviour, or be stripped of two committee roles.

He remained defiant yesterday and seemed to smirk at times, but some of his barbs caused members of the public gallery to gasp in disbelief.

‘‘My problem is not anger management, but council mismanagement and misrepresentation,’’ Cr Vandervis said in a statement after yesterday’s meeting.

His July outburst resulted in Crs Garey, Steve Walker and Marie Laufiso laying formal complaints.

Cr Garey had said she feared Cr Vandervis was so out of control he might strike her.

Cr Walker intervened and stood between them.

Independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg found Cr Vandervis behaved ‘‘aggressively, discourteously and in a manner anyone would have found intimidating’’.

If an acceptable apology is not delivered by Tuesday next week, the council will revoke Cr Vandervis’ membership of the Otago Museum Trust board and district licensing committee.

Cr Garey said in a statement after the meeting noone — neither staff nor elected mem bers — should feel unsafe or fearful at work.

‘‘Women, in particular, have been targeted for far too long in this way and it has to stop,’’ she said.

‘‘I thank my colleagues for their definitive and emphatic response with the tools they currently have available to them.

‘‘The wider issue is that there are limited tools within local government to deal with such extreme behaviour.’’

Cr Chris Staynes said he expected abusive or aggressive conduct in the private sector would usually result in a formal written or final warning and, for multiple incidents, dismissal.

Councillors, however, were elected and the organisation had a ‘‘limited range’’ of options.

Cr David BensonPope likened Cr Vandervis’ conduct to that of an angry rugby player screaming when called out. at a referee. ‘‘That’s exactly what you

‘‘The worst thing is you con would expect from a 4yearold, tinue to be in denial,’’ Cr not a 64yearold, or thereBensonPope said. abouts.’’

Mayor Aaron Hawkins said Cr Cr Sophie Barker said profesVandervis was a recidivist and sional, courteous conduct was his conduct was embarrassing. needed in the workplace.

In evaluating possible penal‘‘It is completely unacceptties, councillors were ‘‘not left able to bail someone up and with much to choose from’’. shout at them.’’

He compared the councillor’s Cr Carmen Houlahan said she conduct to that of his young son, regularly agreed with Cr who tended to feel aggrieved Vandervis, but she had seen him lose his temper numerous times.

Cr Jules Radich said he was not far from the incident and did not hear screaming and yelling.

He could see how Cr Vandervis would be frustrated about having a point of order ‘‘dismissed out of hand’’, but that did not excuse his subsequent conduct.

Cr Vandervis told councillors he did not recognise the investigator, her report, or the code of conduct process.

‘‘The reason I raised my voice to deputy [mayor] Garey was that she refused to listen to my description of what my point of order actually was and she cut across my initially conversational tone with the false accusation that I was ‘just having a go’.’’

Cr Vandervis fired a series of barbs at Cr Garey and other elected members. He withdrew a comment about the deputy mayor’s makeup.

He rejected the accusation he pointed his finger in ‘‘stabbing motions’’ at Cr Garey, or that he screamed and yelled.

Cr Vandervis said complaining to Cr Garey verbally was a mistake and he also made a mistake in raising his voice.

‘‘I sincerely apologised for both of these mistakes . . . My undertaking in that apology to make all my future nonpublic complaints in writing should ensure that there is no further opportunity for such unpleasantness.’’

Councillors had previously labelled this apology weak and pathetic.

— Additional reporting by

Emma Perry