Napier mayor to let councillors decide city’s third deputy mayor in a month

Napier Mayor Richard McGrath wears his mayoral chains at an earthquake memorial service at the Waiapu Cathedral.

Napier councillors will have a chance to vote for who they want to be deputy mayor, potentially meaning a third person will take on the role in less than a month.

Councillors gathered for a private meeting with Mayor Richard McGrath on Tuesday after he was accused of “reckless” decision-making when standing down Deputy Mayor Sally Crown in late February.

McGrath issued a statement following the meeting, in which he appears to have offered an olive branch to quell the tensions.

He said he had listened to concerns some of the councillors had about his recent decisions regarding internal processes, communication and the appointment of his second deputy mayor, Roger Brownlie, who has been in the role for less than two weeks.

Councillors would now have an opportunity to vote on the deputy mayor, following an election process set out in the Local Government Act, he said.

“We had a collective and constructive discussion; it was positive to come together to talk through a way forward,” McGrath said.

“I want to acknowledge and apologise for any hurt or harm my decisions may have caused Councillor Crown or Deputy Mayor Brownlie.

“My priority is ensuring we continue to work together as a council, aligned, respectful, and focused on delivering the best outcomes for Napier.”

Hawke’s Bay Today was told on Tuesday morning by a source that a block of councillors unhappy with McGrath’s decisions were likely to have their say at the meeting at the Napier War Memorial Centre.

Asked about the agenda of the meeting as he was driving to it, Councillor Keith Price said he would not confirm what it was about.

But Price said he would be “sitting back” during the meeting and “was not going to get involved in games”.

“I just want to get the city running. At the moment, everyone is talking and not connecting to make balanced decisions.”

He said McGrath had campaigned and was elected by the public as mayor.

“He did the mahi. We can’t just chuck him out.”

Councillor Shyann Raihania said the meeting was closed to the public and media, and was a “councillor catch-up”.

The only scheduled council meeting on Tuesday was a water services afternoon workshop.

Councillors left the meeting about 12.30pm on Tuesday, and all declined to comment.

Napier’s council made national headlines in February when McGrath stood Crown down.

She had refused his request to resign and instead stated he should undergo leadership training for what she called “ad-hoc”, “reckless” and “chaotic” decision-making.

The unprecedented breakdown between the pair played out in public at a Napier City Council meeting.

Sally Crown and Mayor Richard McGrath. Photo / NCC

Crown said at the time the “abrupt” nature of the mayor’s actions were about “control and coercion” and to demonstrate there was “unfettered power” attached to the role of mayor.

She was considering a judicial review of the decision, depending on advice she received regarding the potential cost to ratepayers.

McGrath appointed Roger Brownlie in her place later in the week.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.