More suspense than Stephen King novel

Marty Sharpe An element of suspense surrounded the inaugural Hawke's Bay Regional Council meeting today, at which one of three contenders was to become the new chairman.
Councillors Rex McIntyre, Eileen von Dadelszen and Adrienne Williams were all chasing the position.
While none were letting their secrets out, each was believed to have secured the backing of one nominator and one seconder among the other six councillors, effectively splitting the nine-seat council three ways.
If that remained the case after several rounds of voting, the three councillors' names would be put in a lot. The first name drawn would be removed from the race and the councillors would then vote on the remaining two candidates.
Council general manager Andrew Caseley said he and his staff were aware the vote could come down to drawing lots and were "prepared for any eventuality".
Mr McIntyre, the council's Wairoa councillor since 1989, said he had been encouraged to seek the chairman's position by farmers across the region.
Mr McIntyre has lived most of his life in Hawke's Bay and farms near Nuhaka. He is a trustee of the Ngati Kahungunu Community marae, and a trustee of the Eastern and Central Outdoor Education Trust. He has chaired the regional land transport committee since 1998.
Mrs Williams, who has been the council's Central Hawke's Bay councillor since 1995, last month moved from her Waipawa farm to Napier Hill. She still owns her farm and makes weekly trips to Waipukurau for Rotary meetings.
Mrs Williams has chaired the regulatory hearings committee and the coastal plan review for the last term, and is current chair of the regional resource management plan review committee.
Mrs Williams trained as a teacher and was an export floriculturist for 15 years. She has been a national board member of Plunket, served on the Hawke's Bay Ethics Committee for Health, the Central Hawke's Bay Health Taskforce, the Hawke's Bay Health Trust, and is a trustee of Back-Up New Zealand.
Mrs von Dadelszen has represented the Hastings constituency since 1995, and has been deputy chair since 1998. She is a Member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
She is self-employed as a resource management consultant.