Editorial: Will the right person for mayor please stand up

Andrew Austin, Editor of Hawke's Bay Today.

It seems like we have a race on our hands.

With Lawrence Yule vacating his position as Mayor of Hastings in an attempt to become MP for Tukituki, first-term councillor Bayden Barber has finally confirmed that he wants the job.

This pits him against the current deputy mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, who announced a while back that she would be contesting the byelection that will be held after Mr Yule resigns as mayor.

I suppose a two-horse race is better than one person walking in unopposed, but I would not bet against it being a four or five or even a six-horse race by the time nominations for the byelection close.

When you have had a mayor for as long as Mr Yule has been, it is often a hard task to find a replacement.

Ms Hazlehurst seems to have an advantage as she will effectively be mayor (officially acting mayor) from when Mr Yule takes unpaid leave in June. Over the years she has been one of the highest polling councillors and there is no doubt she believes it is her turn for the top job.

However, Mr Barber is clearly ambitious, has leadership experience and has some significant backing and organisation behind him. He will be going hard for this position.

But what about the rest? Don't be surprised if councillor and mayoral candidate in the past Simon Nixon puts his name forward to mix things up a bit. Two other councillors, Kevin Watkins and first term councillor Damon Harvey, have told us they are undecided, so don't be surprised if both decide to give it a go. It is also highly likely there will be a wild card entry into the race as well.

Whatever happens, let's hope enough people turn out to vote (traditionally byelections have low turnouts) so that the person elected is a person who truly represents the people of Hastings District.