Some words of counsel for weary councillors
Welcome to Wellington – the city so toxic that over a third of sitting councillors are considering not standing again. They have talked of bursting into tears and suffering panic attacks after meetings. One has received counselling and suggested a psychologist counsel all councillors.
What has led to such a toxic council culture? To be fair to the mayor and sitting councillors, they inherited quite a few problems. The Central Library closure was not of their making, nor were the water pipes or the white elephant convention centre. Covid-19 not only paralysed the CBD but put enormous financial stress on the council.
Then again, did the Christchurch City Council disintegrate after the 2011 earthquake? No. As our central governments showed during both the earthquake and the pandemic, a crisis can be an opportunity if you handle the response well.
I have heard many of the Left and even some on the Right blame leadership for the current problem. I think that is unfair, as many problems are not of the mayor’s making. Nevertheless, many have been critical of his performance and felt his calling for a review was premature.
I was impressed by the content of the review, so it was sad that the mayor didn’t implement one of its main recommendations – bringing together councillors from different sides to facilitate ‘‘shared leadership opportunities’’. His original plan of having close allies Diane Calvert and Simon Woolf as chair and deputy of the important finance and performance committee was shortsighted and caused an internal fuss.
Even left-wing colleagues of former mayors such as Kerry Prendergast talk of how previous mayors successfully worked with both sides. I am no fan of Prendergast’s motorway bypass, but let’s not forget she also managed to negotiate an excellent social housing deal with the support of both council and central government.
Although I have sympathy for councillors under stresses, their behaviour has not always been exemplary. As in sport, it’s good to learn how to lose well, as well as win well. Added to acrimony and misunderstanding, councillors have leaked, had to delete tweets, complained about colleagues on social media, publicly criticised council staff, and lodged formal complaints.
They have also changed their minds. Both Shelly Bay and the library privatisation saw councillors change pre-election positions. While I was unimpressed by some of the reasons given for changed votes, councillors changing their minds, especially after they have sought expert advice, can be a good thing. For example, Sean Rush has recently changed his stance on Ma¯ ori representation after engaging with iwi. Nicola Young changed her stance on the airport extension a while back after doing extensive research.
Let’s also not forget that we have councillors of different ages and backgrounds, which is going to bring them into conflict on occasions. But it is sad if that healthy conflict turns toxic and makes people on both sides want to throw in the towel.
The younger councillors see climate change as a major issue, want housing intensification and seem to have little time for, among other things, private cars and capitalism. Meanwhile, older councillors, frustrated by commutes and weekend travel times, are looking at transport solutions involving tunnels and motorways. Is this highly dysfunctional? Not at all.
These disagreements reflect differences in the city: homeowners v renters; heritage v intensification; car owners v public transport; Boomers v Millennials; northern, western and eastern suburbs v central and southern. I suspect there will be a job going at the next election to any mayoral candidate who can successfully appeal to both sides.
Where do we go from here? It’s tremendously sad that a number of councillors are not enjoying this term – it should be a career highlight to represent your city. I suspect there could also be a backlash against incumbents as disgruntled voters wish a plague on both Left and Right houses.
My advice to councillors, to quote the famous philosopher Bartholomew Simpson, is to not have a cow. Getting stressed doesn’t help anyone, and life is too short to dread going to work. Throw caution to the wind and try to have some fun. If you get kicked out next time, do something less stressful. If not, you may achieve something.
And things might change. Three years ago, we were at the height of the Bustastrophe. Our regional council was in tatters. Councillors were being heckled at public meetings over the ‘‘lasagne of failure’’ that was the new bus system, and leaked secret votes showed a deeply divided council.
Today, you hardly hear about the regional council. Under strong and unified leadership, the current councillors, while admitting there are still serious problems to confront, seem to be enjoying life and achieving. Take note, Wellington city councillors and ye of little faith: all is not lost.
It is sad if healthy conflict turns toxic and makes people on both sides want to throw in the towel.