Chamber Unimpressed by Multiple Candidacies

The Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce is increasingly concerned about the number of candidates who are standing both for the Mayoral position and for Councillor positions in this year’s Wellington City Council elections. The Chamber believes that if a candidate genuinely wants to be Mayor they should only stand for the Mayoralty.

According to the WCC website six nominations have been received for the Mayoralty, four of these candidates are also standing for Council slots, Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Paul Baily, Rob Goulden, and Bryan Pepperell. Media reports also suggest that Helene Ritchie is planning to stand both for Mayor and for the Council in the Northern Ward.

“A cynic would say that some of these candidates are using the Mayoral race as a means to increase exposure for their Councillor candidacy” said Chamber CEO Charles Finny.

“We hope this is not the case. To remove any suspicion that candidates are seeking to use the Mayoral race in this way, we call for each of the candidates to make a decision about whether they want to be the Mayor or a Councillor. If the answer is Mayor then they still have until midday to withdraw their nomination for the Council. If the answer is Councillor, then withdraw from the Mayoral race.

“The Chamber will next year, along with making the case for more amalgamation of Councils, suggest to Government and the opposition that they agree to change the Local government Act so that candidates are no longer able to stand both for Mayoral and Council positions.

“Aside from adding to confusion, the duplication of candidacies adds to local Government waste. The more candidates there are for Mayor, the higher the cost of running an election. Should these candidates continue to run multiple candidacies, and not take our advice, then they should expect a back lash from the voters”, Charles Finny concluded.

ENDS

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