Diane Yeldon:

And what if a majority of DCC Councillors get sick of NZ Green Party policy being promoted at city council level when they honestly believe it is not in the interests of the Dunedin residents and ratepayers towards whom they have a duty of care?
Standing Orders provide a PARTIAL remedy. The Council cannot vote to remove the Mayor because the Mayor was elected in a separate election. 

I think this electoral law should be changed and the Mayor should be elected by the Councillors.This is what happens on REGIONAL COUNCILS and it used to happen on County Councils too. It still happens with Community Boards. 

This makes for much better representative democracy. At the moment in NZ, we have political parties picking off mayoralties because they are good cheap publicity for the party. This often results in war between the mayor and a number of the councillors, plus name-calling and accusations at council meetings. 

Last triennium, I saw Cr Benson-Pope accuse Cr Mike Lord of voting a certain way ‘because he wanted his photo taken with the Prime Minister’. (John Key, at the time.) Such a remark is contrary to the Code of Conduct but under Mayor Cull’s mayoralty I don’t recall a Point of Order or Code of Conduct breach ever being upheld against Cr Benson-Pope who always seemed to me to vote the same way as Mayor Cull.( I guess they were political allies. )

This was despite Cr Benson-Pope very often making extremely disparaging remarks of anyone who had a different view to him on any topic, including Treasury officials who BP said ‘made idiot decisions’. 

So much for Council staff being protected against even the faintest criticism because of the supposed power imbalance and because they can’t answer back. (Some do, actually. At meetings, in response to councillors’ questions, some of them are unhelpful, disrespectful, uppity and sometimes downright rude. More often women for some reason. Especially to Cr Lee Vandervis. 

You would almost think they had been briefed....but I digress.)

No, council staff are protected from the slightest criticism of even reports they have written when local knowledge presented at public forum is likely to result in better decision making. I think this interpretation of ‘courtesy’ and ‘respect’ amounts to censorship but other public servants ( like Treasury officials) are apparently fair game. But for Cr Benson-Pope no doubt only when National is in Government. 

You would think there was enough of this bickering in Parliament without dragging it into local government. I used to cringe with embarrassment for Dunedin when the former Councillor Hawkins interrogated staff giving reports at meetings with aggressive questions which ended with AND IF NOT, WHY NOT? just like Question Time at Parliament.

Keep party politics out of local government!

There needs to be an Amendment to the Local Electoral Act BANNING PARTY TICKETS. In fact, banning ALL TICKETS because once elected the law clearly requires councillors to act and decide independently, like jurors. 

To caucus and plan voting cliques provides for back scratching and vote trading and is fundamentally dishonest, amounting to collusion.

And the PURPOSE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE RESTRICTED AGAIN as National did when they were Government. Hawkins and Laufiso ( both having stood as Green Party) havé publicly said at meetings that they are on council to put the world right BIG TIME - like fix climate change and sort out the historical grievances of colonialism. That is not what LOCAL government is for.

Standing Orders make it possible for a Council to rid itself of a Deputy Mayor and Committee Chairs appointed by a Mayor. 

At least that’s a step in a democratic direction.

 

APPENDIX 8: PROCESS FOR REMOVING A CHAIRPERSON AND DEPUTY MAYOR FROM OFFICE


1 At a meeting that is in accordance with this clause, a territorial authority or regional council may remove its Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy Mayor from office.


2 If a Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy mayor is removed from office at that meeting, the territorial authority or regional council may elect a new Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy mayor at that meeting.


3 A meeting to remove a Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy Mayor may be called by:

(a) a resolution of the territorial authority or regional council; or
(b) a requisition in writing signed by the majority of the total membership of the territorial authority or regional council (excluding vacancies).

4 A resolution or requisition must:

(a) specify the day, time, and place at which the meeting is to be held and the business to be considered at the meeting; and
(b) indicate whether or not, if the Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy Mayor is removed from office, a new Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy Mayor is to be elected at the meeting if a majority of the total membership of the territorial authority or regional council (excluding vacancies) so resolves.

5 A resolution may not be made and a requisition may not be delivered less than 21 days before the day specified in the resolution or requisition for the meeting.


6 The chief executive must give each member notice in writing of the day, time, place, and business of any meeting called under this clause not less than 14 days before the day specified in the resolution or requisition for the meeting.


7 A resolution removing a Chairperson, deputy Chairperson, or deputy Mayor carries if a majority of the total membership of the territorial authority or regional council (excluding vacancies) votes in favour of the resolution.
[cl. 18 Schedule 7, LGA 2002]

dunedin.govt.nz
www.dunedin.govt.nz

First published on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/diane.yeldon.52/posts/320493725809527