Library spat reads like War and Peace
Wellington mayor Andy Foster and councillor Fleur Fitzsimons have buried the hatchet after a spat erupted between the pair in a council meeting on Tuesday.
Fitzsimons was blocked from tabling legal advice obtained in support of her being able to freely express opinions on Wellington’s closed central library.
This was after she received an email from Foster on Friday, which she said contained legal advice warning against “speaking her mind” on the issue.
The email was sent to all councillors, some of whom characterised it as the mayor trying to silence them.
Foster stopped her from tabling the document, resulting in Fitzsimons accusing the council of being “deeply undemocratic at times”. He then told her to withdraw and apologise.
Fitzsimons initially asked, “What for?”, then withdrew the comment but refused to apologise. However, she later made the apology.
But yesterday afternoon the pair released a joint statement saying the email was sent as a result of a “series of misunderstandings”.
“Clearly, elected members are free to express their views about what is in the best interests of Wellington,” they said.
“The mayor and councillors have agreed to draw a line under this matter and move on.”
Draft consultation documents were yesterday before councillors outlining the future of the building, which has been closed since March 2019 due to seismic concerns.
The most expensive repair option, and therefore the most resilient, would cost between $174.4 million and $199.8m and bring the building to 100 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS).
Council officers have recommended this as the council’s preferred option, but Fitzsimons has made no secret of her opposition to that idea.
She said a $200m bill was “out of touch” with the reality the city was facing following Covid-19 and other infrastructure spending pressures.
That has ruffled a few feathers after council officers stressed the council must be seen to be open to all practical remediation options under the Local Government Act.