Mayoral runner-up Andrew Simms has telephoned Dunedin’s new mayor saying he will not accept his deputy portfolio position as he believes he has been “sidelined”.
Cr Simms said Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker’s proposed appointments might be in her best political interests, but not in the best interests of Dunedin ratepayers.
But Ms Barker has rejected this and says it is disappointing Cr Simms is “taking the new structure personally”.
“Dunedin is built on relationships, so it’s essential to build and nourish those as collaboration and working together is our pathway to success,” she said.
“I would prefer that Cr Simms work with me.”
Ms Barker’s proposal, due to be adopted at a meeting tomorrow, would change the Dunedin City Council’s traditional committee structure and introduce a portfolio system for councillors to “champion” key issues.
All councillors would be members of two committees — policy and planning, and finance and performance.
The others would be the Te Pae Māori committee, hearings committee, chief executive performance and employment committee, and the audit, risk and assurance committee.
Ms Barker would chair the policy and planning committee, co-chair Te Pae Māori and lead the economic development portfolio.
Cr Simms said he telephoned Ms Barker on Saturday and declined the role of deputy for the economic development portfolio.
Her proposal would result in her and deputy mayor Cherry Lucas having heavy workloads and responsibilities “but leaves many other highly capable councillors with very little work or responsibility”, he said.
He believed leading the economic development portfolio alone was a full-time job “if any meaningful improvement is to result”.
“For Mayor Barker to appoint herself as lead for economic development on top of her existing role as mayor of Dunedin and chair of two standing committees might be in her best political interests, but may not be in the best interests of the ratepayers of Dunedin.
“This move is more about sidelining me than it is about making the best decision for the future of Dunedin.”
Ms Barker said by appointing Cr Simms with her to the economic development portfolio she was sharing with him a position of leadership, partnership and responsibility.
“I was looking forward to sharing contacts, knowledge and experience with Cr Simms to work together in this key strategic area.”
She would look to review appointments and structures in at least a year, which gave a chance to assess councillors’ workloads and performance to ensure council was being maximised for everyone, she said.
“I reject the inference from Cr Simms that I am driven by political interests — my interests are solely about my consideration for what is best for our city.”
The mayor and deputy mayor had always had much higher workloads than other councillors and been members of each committee, she said.
The portfolios and appointments were designed to share skill sets and mentor new councillors into roles.
“I aimed to have experienced councillors work with new councillors and ‘show them the ropes’, passing on system knowledge and how to work within the parameters of council.”
Doug Hall said the proposed structure was a positive step towards improving focus and accountability within the council.
“A clear framework that assigns responsibilities and decision-making pathways can only strengthen our governance, provided it’s implemented with transparency and genuine collaboration across all councillors.”
Cr Hall was the only new councillor assigned a lead role, that being of the technology portfolio, which he said aligned closely with his background and skills.
The portfolio system had potential to work well if it was treated as a tool for better engagement and outcomes “rather than as a hierarchy”, he said.
Mickey Treadwell said the portfolio system, much like the previous system, would rely on co-operation and respect between councillors.
It could be of real community benefit if each lead and deputy facilitated communication and shared resources within their portfolios.
Terms of reference for the Te Pae Māori committee were still under review, and it was “imperative” mana whenua representatives retained voting rights, Cr Treadwell said.