Continuity at the Ashburton council table

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Neil Brown is back in the big chair and says its straight back down to business.

Brown won the Ashburton mayoralty race by a whopping 8521 votes from his only opponent Jeff Swindley to be back at the helm and “straight back into it”.

With four councillors retiring at the end of the term, Brown said there was always going to be at least four new faces at the table.

With all of the incumbents being re-elected, Brown said it was a sign of confidence from the community in the council direction.

It also means there is continuity at the table.

“There is no need to stall so we can just keep progressing at the rate we have been going for the betterment of the whole community,” Brown said.

Of the four new councillors, one already has two-terms under his belt.

Russell Ellis infamously was unable to stand in the last election after a technical error on his nomination form and is “absolutely rapt” to be back on the council.

“I was really passionate about this role so there was some big disappointment in 2019," he said.

He said he had unfinished business that he missed out on being a part of over the last three years but can’t wait to get back into what will be his full-time employment.

“They do things a bit differently now than they did three years ago but I don’t have to find my feet as much,” Ellis said.

Ellis was the fifth highest polling candidate in the Ashburton ward but had an over 900 vote margin on fellow former councillor Thelma Bell.

Carolyn Cameron finished on top in the Ashburton ward to ensure a second term, with fellow incumbent Leen Braam polling third.

Tony Todd, and Phill Hooper are the new councillors in the Ashburton ward.

Todd may be a first term councillor at 75 years old but he said he saw that as a good thing.

“It doesn’t hurt to have older wise heads around the table,” Todd said.

Hooper would continue as a breakfast radio host on Hokonui Ashburton during the three-year term and wanted to bring “a fresh set of eyes and ideas” to the council table.

The incumbents in the Western Ward, Liz McMillan and Rodger Letham, were comfortably re-elected with Dame Lynda Topp missing out.

Topp said she was always a long shot to be “the first lesbian on the Ashburton council” and the people had spoken but she wasn’t too worried about the result, and it was unlikely to be the last the council would hear of her.

“You can do just as much from the outside as you can from the inside,” Topp said.

Out in the Eastern Ward, Lynette Lovett is back for a third term with newly elected Councillor Richard Wilson who takes the place vacated by his retired four-term councillor father, Stuart Wilson.

Wilson said while he is his father’s son, he is not his father.

“I am my own person with my own set of skills and experiences,” he said.

Wilson was looking forward to the taking on the challenges facing the district and while he would need to learn the ropes he “isn’t going to shy away from making my voice heard”.

The new Ashburton District Council will be sworn in on October 27.

Methven Community Board:
Richie Owen was the top polling candidate for the Methven Community Board where six candidates vied for five seats.

Owen returns for a second term and is joined by fellow incumbent and former Ashburton District Councillor, Kelvin Holmes.

Allan Lock, Megan Fitzgerald, and Robin Jenkinson are all first-term members completing the five-member board at this stage.

Adam Preston is the odd candidate out with 311 votes, but just five votes behind Jenkinson.

That margin could change when the special votes are factored in for the final results which will be announced by Thursday.

The new board members will be sworn in at the same ceremony as the new Ashburton District Council on October 27 before electing a chairperson and deputy chaiperson at the inaugural board meeting on October 31.