Dunedin councillor Steve Walker criticized the strategy of running for mayor to increase council election prospects, deeming it disingenuous. He specifically mentioned councillors who, he believes, lack serious mayoral aspirations but use the campaign for higher visibility.
Councillor Mandy Mayhem, a mayoral candidate, responded, asserting her genuine mayoral ambitions and claiming her success depends on voter support. Other candidates shared varying viewpoints; some agreed with Walker's concerns about unequal campaign exposure for council candidates compared to mayoral candidates, while others defended successfully using this tactic in the past. Cr Andrew Whiley, for example, stated that his 2013 council election win was facilitated by running for mayor, which boosted his profile.
The article also highlighted the perspectives of Cr Sophie Barker and Cr Brent Weatherall. Cr Barker acknowledged the challenges of getting exposure for council candidates, whereas Cr Weatherall indicated his willingness to work with a limited number of mayoral candidates.
Cr Steve Walker ruled himself out of the contest for the Dunedin mayoralty.
"I also refuse on principle to copy certain councillors who not only would make terrible mayors, but know themselves that they haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance of becoming mayor," he said.
"Running for mayor simply to ‘sneak’ on to council is in my mind very disingenuous."
Cr Mandy Mayhem was one person who responded, saying she was a councillor already and was not trying to "sneak" in.
"Maybe I am that hell cat — I do believe I have a chance," she said.
"The ultimate measuring stick is how many votes I get.
"When the people have spoken, we will see where I rank."
Cr Walker’s candidacy for the Dunedin City Council has again been endorsed by the Labour Party.
Another candidate endorsed by the party this year, Jett Groshinski, stood for both the council and the mayoralty in 2022, and finished near the bottom of the mayoralty race.
Asked about this, Cr Walker stood by his comment, whether it applied to Mr Groshinski or other friends who had done similarly.
"It's my opinion, and it's just a reflection of my own personal set of values and principles," he said.
"I'll leave it up to each individual to establish where they draw their own line."
Cr Sophie Barker, who is expected to be among the leading contenders for the mayoralty, said she understood Cr Walker’s point of view.
"In many ways, it speaks to the huge challenges to get exposure for council candidates, with mayoral candidates given exponential chances for public engagement where councillor candidates have few," she said.
"I think the public themselves sort out who are the serious candidates — the public exposure may go both ways to establishing a candidate's suitability for office."
Cr Andrew Whiley said the tactic worked successfully for him in 2013.
"I feel if I had only run for council in 2013, I wouldn't have got elected," he said.
"But by running for the mayoralty, it gave me that extra profile."
Cr Brent Weatherall said he could work with only four candidates who had put themselves forward for mayor this year — incumbent Jules Radich and challengers Andrew Simms, Cr Lee Vandervis and Cr Barker.
grant.miller@odt.co.nz
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