Who gets jobs under Brown?
ANALYSIS: ‘‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’’ is an old line in political leadership, and one that Auckland’s mayorelect Wayne Brown will be aware of as he builds an inner circle.
Brown is spending much of his first week in one-on-one meetings with the 20 ward councillors he will lead. He’ll be on the lookout for a deputy mayor, and people to chair the large and smaller committees he’ll create.
The deputy is a crucial decision as it’s far more than just being the ‘‘No. 2’’. The deputy mayor plays a vital role as ‘‘catherder’’, helping the mayor build a consensus, dealing with wounded egos, mustering support and riding shotgun for the mayor.
In 2010, left-leaning Len Brown chose Waitā kere ward councillor Penny Hulse, who’d held the same role pre-amalgamation alongside Waitā kere mayor Sir Bob Harvey.
Hulse was hugely skilled at the task, but from 2016 the incoming Phil Goff took a different approach, choosing National Party stalwart Bill Cashmore, a move seen as signalling a disregard for political party labels and the pair became close friends.
Wayne Brown has made much about being neither left nor right on the political spectrum, so party-political symbolism may play less of a role.
Goff’s two-term finance chair, Ō rā kei ward’s Desley Simpson, must be a leading contender, although there have been no signals and she has avoided comment on the possibility. Brown likes to talk about it all being about ‘‘the numbers’’ and for two terms Simpson has had the ‘‘numbers’’ role, gaining respect around the council for helping steer big savings through the ‘‘Value for Money’’ programme.
Simpson is a staunch National Party supporter, but had good relationships around the table – the unsuccessful mayoral candidate Efeso Collins liked to tell audiences how he deliberately sat next to Simpson, to build understanding between the richest and poorest wards in the city.
Another approach would be to select a deputy who can build a strong bridge to the ‘‘progressive’’ side of the council table, and taking that path opens the way for several, such as Labour-aligned Richard Hills or Josephine Bartley, but this a long-shot scenario given how little is known about Brown’s political personality.
The mayor in Auckland also determines the committee structure and that territory is less clear. Committees can reflect the priorities of the mayor, Goff created an Environment and Climate Change committee and a Value for Money committee chaired by Simpson – signalling the importance he placed on fiscal rigour.
In the first two terms, Len Brown had a Transport committee, later called Infrastructure, chaired by former Auckland Regional Council chair Mike Lee, but Goff scrapped that – just one of his moves which alienated Lee.
Brown has appeared unenthusiastic about the climate focus of
Goff’s council and whether his committee structure reflects that as a priority area will be one to watch.
There is talent and experience on tap around the council to appoint to committee chairs, roles which also carry higher salaries, as well as deputies – part of the job of sharing seniority between the leading lights of Goff’s council, newcomers and those who felt left on the sidelines under Goff.
Those with both experience and seniority include former Auckland City mayor and National MP Christine Fletcher, the two Manurewa-papakura ward councillors Daniel Newman and Angela Dalton, and Manukau’s Alf Filipaina. A wildcard is council newcomer, but former National Party parliamentary veteran, Maurice Williamson.
Newer but well-regarded figures, such as Waitā kere’s Shane Henderson, may be in with a shot, but senior councillor Chris Darby’s role as liaison councillor to Auckland Transport might count as a black mark with a mayor hugely focussed on change at the agency.
The one certainty is that there won’t be a job for everyone. Goff tried to avoid ‘‘missing out syndrome’’ in 2019 with a list of 32 roles, including ‘‘portfolio leads’’.
Brown has given no indication when he’ll make those announcements. Goff in 2019 revealed new committees in his speech as the council was sworn in, which this year is October 28, and roles a few days later.