Incoming mayor seeks culture change for new-look council
‘‘Everyone seemed to be surprised but me,’’ says new South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen.
Lacking little in self-confidence, Beijen took the chains from incumbent Viv Napier by a margin of 511 votes, despite having no experience in public office.
He’d been managing an engineering firm until he decided to run for mayor and believes bringing a business perspective to the council might have given him the edge.
The self described ‘‘car nut’’ lives rurally near Martinborough with his wife Julie, and has been a Wairarapa resident for 20 years.
A stint as a senior adviser at Wellington City Council gave him a taste of the mechanics involved in local government but he is preparing for a steep learning curve.
Beijen wanted to bring a culture of accessibility and transparency to the council.
An increasing number of public-excluded meetings had become a concern for Beijen. ‘‘Big issues out here have been fresh water, waste water and waste, generally. There are no quick fixes for any of these but the public need to know [the council is] on track and to be kept informed of what’s happening.’’
Having council meetings live-streamed was on his agenda.
With a relatively new chief executive and South Wairarapa having voted in five new councillors (out of nine) the council had the right mix of new blood and institutional knowledge to make changes without severe disruption, he said.
‘‘We’re a small council and should be nimble enough to react and change quckly.’’
Beijen said South Wairarapa needed to continue building on its reputation as a tourist destination as well as looking at other areas in which it could grow.
With a national shortage in affordable housing, he said it was becoming apparent that rental prices in South Wairarapa were outstripping wages.