Mayor stands firm on decisions
New Zealand’s youngest mayor, Ben Bell, says he realises his election as mayor may have come as a shock for some and the changes flowing from that have been a concern to some of his peers.
But he is not backing away from the decisions he has made in his short time in the job, which have seen him come under fire from some councillors.
Bell has returned to work after a three-day break and is understood to have spent much of yesterday in meetings in Invercargill.
He issued a statement yesterday afternoon, saying change could be challenging and his commitment to Gore and his fellow councillors was to constructively and professionally work through this period of change.
‘‘Last week after a long week of challenging discussions, I made the decision to step back and work remotely to refocus and reflect, in-between answering phone calls from elected members and replying to a number of emails,’’ he said.
‘‘The council’s goal has always been and must continue to be to serve our community and people to the best of our ability. I am confident that if everyone is willing to focus on how we best support our community, we will be able to work through these challenges and do the work our community has elected us to do.’’
But he is not backing down from his decision to appoint Stewart MacDonell as deputy mayor.
Last week, Stuff reported that seven councillors had signed a request that MacDonell be removed from the position of deputy mayor of the Gore District Council.
The document was presented to council chief executive Stephen Parry just before Bell was due to chair his first council meeting.
In the statement, Bell said it had been made clear the role of deputy mayor was important not
only for the mayor but also the council and the wider organisation.
‘‘I consider councillor MacDonell a respected and capable member of our team, who is committed to getting good things done in our community.
‘‘While it is disappointing to have his appointment challenged in such a short space of time, we will find a way forward,’’ Bell said.
He said councillors would meet ahead of the extraordinary meeting to reflect on the challenge to the deputy mayor.
‘‘We will collectively work towards a solution benefiting the entire council.
‘‘We need to allow everyone time to refocus on the Gore district, and how we make good things happen effectively and efficiently.
‘‘I will refrain from commenting further on the deputy mayor’s position until we have had that conversation as a team.’’
Some of the councillors that signed the request to remove MacDonell had not attended a councillor summit at Cromwell organised by Bell’s personal
secretary, and one left before it began.
Bell said it was important the council created a high-performing team and spent time together outside the council chambers, getting a wide range of information from a variety of experts.
‘‘We had two productive days with robust discussions. For inclusivity, these discussions were fed back to those who could not make it, before our first council meeting.
‘‘We are all committed to achieving the objectives outlined in our respective electoral campaigns, and that will involve some upfront costs to establish the right foundation for our team and organisation,’’ Bell said.
Bell is yet to announce his council’s governance structure after removing it from the agenda at his first council meeting last week, and he has also clashed with experienced councillor Bret Highsted after deciding not to appoint him to any council committees.
At Bell’s first council meeting, councillors rejected Bell’s bid for the council to employ a personal assistant for him, and he announced he would personally pay the costs for his personal private assistant’s trip to Wellington.
Bell has not responded to questions put to him about his employment arrangements with Shanna Crosbie, his personal assistant. On Friday, she told Stuff she continued to help him in a ‘‘voluntary capacity’’.