The women in the wings for Welly's deputy mayor
One of the frontrunners to potentially take over from Paul Eagle as Wellington’s deputy mayor has only been a city councillor for just over five months.
Northern ward councillor Jill Day is understood to be one of Wellington Mayor Justin Lester’s two preferred candidates to take over as his sidekick should Paul Eagle become the MP for Rongotai after September’s general election.
The other potential candidate is long-time Lambton ward councillor Iona Pannett.
Eagle – Wellington’s first Maori deputy mayor – will contest Rongotai for the Labour Party in September and is believed to be a shooin to win what is considered a safe Labour seat.
Lester would not comment on potential deputy mayor replacements yesterday, but sources close to the mayor’s office confirmed that he was only considering Day and Pannett.
Day, who has iwi affiliations to Ngati Tuwharetoa, is believed to be Lester’s favourite of the two.
She became Wellington’s first female maori councillor when she won a seat on the city council in last October’s local body elections.
If she does become deputy mayor, it is possible she could rise to the position within a year of becoming a councillor for the first time.
She was upbeat about the potentially ‘‘exciting opportunity’’ when asked about it yesterday. ‘‘Even though I am confident Paul will be elected [to Parliament], it is still early days … I’d be more than happy to support Justin in his leadership.’’
She has had conversations about the deputy job with Lester who, as a former Northern ward councillor himself, had encouraged her to stand for election.
The former Playcentre teacher said a good deputy mayor would need to fit in with Lester’s ideas, be able to bring people and initiatives together, and lead.
‘‘Paul is doing a great job and setting an excellent example.’’
Pannett, who is affiliated with the Green Party, said she did not want to have the deputy mayor conversation in public with the general election still months away.
‘‘I’m here to get on with my job [as a councillor].’’
Eagle said no councillors had come to him asking for advice about the deputy job, which he stepped into in October.
He advised any councillor considering the position to only say yes if they were confident they could do it.
‘‘It’s an important job and this is more than a job title. As secondin-charge, you are the face of the city if the mayor is not here and you need to be able to step up.’’
When asked for comment and opinion on the frontrunners, all other city councillors said the ultimate decision was up to Lester and they would support whoever he chose.
Although Day has been tipped as Lester’s favourite, Pannett’s decade of civic experience made her the clear favourite among her colleagues.
Many were surprised a firstterm councillor would be considered for such a big job.
None of the other councillors expressed an interest in the deputy position, and most were surprised that experienced councillor Simon Marsh was not in the mix.
Marsh said he had not given it any thought.
‘‘Paul is doing a great job and we need someone like him who has experience and relationships with a wide range of people in Wellington.’’