29 October 2019

Cr Michael Laws
Deputy Chairman
Otago Regional Council

Newly elected deputy chairman of the Otago Regional Council, Cr Michael Laws, says that last week’s leadership vote “was the clearest indication that the Otago Regional Council has listened to electors, and that it will be changing.”

“ The Dunstan Ward has been frustrated for many years at the glacial progress
of the ORC over a good number of environmental issues – from lake snow
to rabbit control to public transport.

Elected reps from Dunstan have gone to Dunedin and met with a stonewall.

That will change. Having the deputy chairman resident in Dunstan – and
having two energetic, skilled political operators like Alexa Forbes and
Gary Kelliher also around the table - will make a huge difference.”

Cr Laws said that he was “excited at the potential and possibilities arising from last Wednesday’s vote. Chairperson Marian Hobbs has a Labour Party background but I was a former National MP, and Cr Hilary Calvert is a former Act MP. We were all in the same lobby last Wednesday, changing the governance structure of the ORC.”

Cr Laws said that he had already spoken with Mayors Jim Boult and Tim Cadogan “and pledged to both men that we will be working with them in a much more constructive way over the next three years.”

ENDS

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