Napier mayor asks for resignation of deputy mayor

Napier's Deputy Mayor Sally Crown and Mayor Richard McGrath. Photo / NCC

Napier mayor Richard McGrath has asked for the resignation of his deputy mayor Sally Crown, and she is not taking it lying down.

Crown revealed at a Napier City Council meeting on Tuesday that McGrath had asked her for her resignation at 2pm on Monday.

She said she had been initially given until 5pm Monday to resign or be removed, which was then changed to 5pm on Tuesday.

She said she had been given no warning of McGrath’s intentions and felt “blindsided”.

McGrath appointed Crown as his deputy when elected in October and has the power to remove her as a result.

She would remain as a councillor.

“I will not be coerced or bullied into staying silent,” she told the meeting of McGrath’s actions.

McGrath told the meeting he would not be commenting on what Crown had said during the meeting.

Crown said the reasons given to her by the mayor were punctuated by two bullet points and a paragraph that summarised claims of a relationship breakdown.

She said it was the first time he had raised any concerns with her regarding the trust and confidence he had in her, her behaviour and performance in the role of deputy.

“My interpretation of the next part of the script, where Mayor Richard confirms that I would retain all other senior roles and appointments, is that it is an acknowledgement of my professional leadership, capability, work ethic, and commitment to being an effective elected member.”

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

“We are living in a time when the ramifications of blind allegiance to leadership are causing unrest and upheaval for individuals, families, and political systems across the world.”

She said to protect future elected members, the council and ratepayers, she would be seeking a judicial review on the decision-making process triggered by the mayor’s actions and had requested what costs and resources it would incur for the ratepayers.

She described McGrath’s decision-making as “ad-hoc”, “reckless” and “chaotic” and put forward a motion to fellow councillors to get McGrath training in communication and leadership skills.

Because it was brought up as a minor matter, it couldn’t be resolved at Tuesday’s meeting.

Napier City Council CEO Louise Miller said officers would take the Crown’s motion as an action and bring it back to council through “proper process”.

The meeting was then concluded after a karakia.

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