Low public profile blamed for Tauranga election defeat

Bev Edlin in happier times at an election meeting in Matua Hall last month. Photo/George Novak

The fundamental problem of not having a strong enough public profile has been blamed for Bev Edlin not winning re-election onto the Tauranga City Council.

Mrs Edlin was reflecting on a shock election loss which saw her relegated to third in the race to win one of two seats on the Otumoetai/Pyes Pa Ward.

The one-term councillor stood a slim chance of keeping her seat when she finished just 62 votes behind incumbent Catherine Stewart on Saturday, but this had slipped to 98 votes on the latest provisional count yesterday. There still remains 400-500 special votes to be counted.

She believed she was undone by the entry of Larry Baldock into the contest for the ward, saying that her name simply wasn't as well known as the two winners.

"I have had so many people ringing me saying they could not believe the result, they were flabbergasted," she said.

"But if that is the way the cookie crumbles, then you have to accept it."

She did not believe the result reflected any shortcomings in her campaign, although in hindsight she wondered how many people really understood what she meant when she said she had a PhD in Governance.

"People have asked me, 'what is governance?'"

Mrs Edlin said she would now go back to her other governance work.

"I am not sitting around crying."