Auckland Regional Council chairman Phil Warren is adamant his resignation from the leadership of Local Government New Zealand will not damage Auckland's relationship with the Government.
Local government expert Dr Graham Bush said that if anything Mr Warren's resignation was positive because it helped to clear the air between local and central government after the Carol Stigley affair.
The resignation of Ms Stigley as chief executive of Local Government NZ caused a political ruckus when National MP Murray McCully claimed in Parliament that Local Government Minister Sandra Lee's "dysfunctional" relationship with her had forced her out.
Local Government NZ president Louise Rosson (who at first denied that Ms Stigley was paid a golden handshake but backtracked after leaked documents showed otherwise) and her two deputies, Mr Warren and South Waikato Mayor Gordon Blake, resigned after crisis meetings with five of the body's six zones.
Mr Warren said yesterday that confidentiality clauses prevented him from telling the full story behind Ms Stigley's resignation.
He refused to discuss the matter except to insist that Auckland's relationship with central Government had never been stronger.
Warren: ties to capital still strong
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