Mutiny on the Botany
Explosive allegations before MP quits Simon Bridges’ political career hangs in the balance Jami-Lee Ross: Controversial from the start The battle for Botany: Taking on the party Comment: MP hits self-destruct button
Jami-Lee Ross’ tilt at Simon Bridges is not his first attempt to damage a political leader.
Yesterday, the Botany MP announced that he would quit National, saying he would go to police with allegations of corruption against party leader Bridges, in the fallout of the party’s expenses leak.
No stranger to controversy, Ross, as a 24-year-old Manukau City councillor, co-piloted a move to disgrace mayor Len Brown over credit-card spending, as Brown contested the inaugural Auckland Council mayoralty.
That credit-card scandal culminated in an emotionally charged council meeting, in which Ross led an inquisitorialstyle grilling of Brown and council officials.
Fellow councillor Anne Candy described the performance by Ross and his political runningmate Dick Quax, as ‘‘disgusting’’.
‘‘This is not about addressing some misdemeanours. This is about bringing the mayor down,’’ Candy told the marathon fourhour meeting.
‘‘Disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted,’’ was the judgement by councillor and former National MP Arthur Anae.
Ross and the late Dick Quax revealed Brown had used his mayoral credit card for $638 of personal expenses.
Brown was then locked in battle with former National MP John Banks for the inaugural Auckland Council mayoralty.
Ross’ conduct in that meeting was astonishingly confident for someone who had won a seat on the council nearly three terms earlier as an 18-year-old.
It was a meeting most famous for the images of Brown slapping his own forehead during an emotional apology.
Brown survived the roasting to trounce Banks and lead the inaugural Auckland Council, which included Ross as a Howick ward councillor.
Ross got into politics early, joining the National Party at 17, and winning a council seat the following year.
He settled in Botany in 2007 with his wife Lucy Schwaner.
The pair became a political duo in the east, with Schwaner serving three terms on the Howick Local Board until a controversial departure in 2016.
Within weeks of re-election, Schwaner missed out on the board chairmanship and resigned, triggering a $104,000 byelection.