One step forward . . .
The city’s ongoing election saga is no closer to being resolved, with a decision on a potential recount not expected until next week. Damian George reports.
Wellington’s newly elected deputy mayor is resigned to relinquishing her role should an election recount put her position up for grabs.
Sarah Free was appointed deputy to mayor-elect Andy Foster only a few days ago but is already coming to grips with having to give up the role should a recount see ousted mayor Justin Lester reinstated.
Lester’s application for a recount was considered by a District Court judge yesterday, with the judge requesting a report from the electoral officer before making a decision.
His lawyer, Graeme Edgeler, said the report would scrutinise how votes were counted on election day, with a decision on a recount expected next week.
Lester lost Wellington’s mayoral race to Foster by just 62 votes. He believes hundreds of voting papers deemed invalid because they were not filled out correctly should be included in the final count – giving him a likely win.
He confirmed yesterday he would reappoint Jill Day to the deputy role if he was re-elected, reaffirming the duo at the helm during the previous term.
Free said she would not contest any decision to remove her from the role.
‘‘We’ll cross those bridges when we come to them but I support any mayor to choose their own deputy. I’m just getting on with things and taking every day as it comes.’’
Lester said he did not want to comment on Free’s appointment, describing her as a ‘‘lovely individual who I’ve really enjoyed working with over the past three years’’.
However, he said his council would look quite different. ‘‘My choice would be Jill Day, who I campaigned alongside.’’
Day said she and Lester had agreed she would be deputy if Lester was elected, and that promise had not changed. She did not anticipate the arrangement
would cause any disruption among councillors.
‘‘In many ways, they would kind of expect it.’’
Rush for transport portfolio?
It’s understood Foster will hand the transport portfolio to first-time councillor Sean Rush, who is aligned with the centre-Right Wellington Party.
Rush has previously aired his scepticism about the human effect on climate change, saying on the Climate Conversation website last year that carbon dioxide alone could not cause more than 1 degree Celsius of warming.
However, in a Dominion Post climate change survey of council candidates during the election campaign, he agreed climate change was one of the country’s most important issues and that efforts to address the problem were inadequate. Rush is completing a masters in climate change science and policy.
He said yesterday his views had ‘‘modified somewhat’’ since last year’s comments.
He would not comment on whether he agreed with Foster’s view that an extra Mt Victoria tunnel was more important for Wellington than a mass public transport system.
‘‘I’ve got no comment on the mayor’s priorities but that sentiment certainly resonates with the Eastern Ward, at least.’’ Lester said he would give the city’s transport portfolio to Iona Pannett.
Foster could not be reached for comment.