Two call time ahead of council poll

The Invercargill City Council is set for a potential shakeup in this year’s local government elections with at least two new faces expected at the council table.

Councillors Thelma Buck and Norman Elder have both decided against running for a seat again.

Cr Buck cited health reasons while Cr Elder said he had decided to pursue other options.

Of the remaining 10 current councillors, seven have confirmed they intend to stand for re-election in October.

Cr Carolyn Dean said she was unde- cided, while Crs Graham Sycamore and Lloyd Esler could not be reached for comment.

Among the present contenders, there was a shared view on improvements the council could make in the coming year.

Cr Lindsay Thomas said he would like to see more ‘‘hard work around the table’’ and the council had an obligation to be more ‘‘fiscally responsible’’.

Ian Pottinger agreed, saying ‘‘there [was] no point in spending money if there were no good results [to show]’’.

Darren Ludlow wanted a council with a ‘‘drive to finish projects’’.

He included the proposed museum redevelopment and district plan review as two examples where he felt the council could succeed.

All seats, and the position of mayor, are up for grabs in the election.

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt said he was looking forward to the competition and he was excited about the potential influx of new council members and fresh thinking it would bring, should he be reinstated.

He hoped the uncertainty surrounding the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter would be the wake-up call the future council needed to safeguard Invercargill from similar events and make the necessary changes to ‘‘diversify the local economy’’.