The third-term councillor says there were a couple of things that made her decide to run for mayor, but things crystallised when incumbent Sandra Hazlehurst decided not to run again.
“When Sandra decided to step down ... I had a huge influx of messages from people saying ‘I hope this means you are going to stand up’,” Schollum said.
So after her family gave their blessings, she was in.
“I’m not hedging my bets. I’m only standing for mayor. That’s how dedicated I am to this.”
She said whoever led the council had to have a track record of bringing people together.
“You have to bring your table with you. There’s no point voting alone.
“Hastings is at a turning point. We can double down on division and distrust, or we can choose proven leadership and fresh thinking that brings people together, cuts through the noise, and gets things done.
“As a business owner, mum, volunteer, and councillor, I’ll never forget who we’re here to serve,” she said during her launch speech.
She said the key areas she will focus on as mayor are smarter council structure and spending, improving housing options and strengthening the local economy.
“I hear the financial pain from the sidelines to the supermarket.
“I know people are struggling so while we need to elect people focused on rates, some of the claims about reducing rates are, if I’m being generous, naive and if I’m not so generous, dangerous.
“We need people with proven track records.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
