Council to name new CEO next week

Former Whangarei District Council CEO Mark Simpson.

The new chief executive of Whangarei District Council will be known by the end of next week after the council decided not to renew the contract of controversial CEO Mark Simpson.

The announcement that Mr Simpson had left the council after more than 16 years at the helm was made to staff at 8am yesterday, with Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai making the news public shortly afterwards. Mr Simpson's contract expired at the end of March and last year the council advertised for a new CEO, with Mr Simpson applying to retain his job. However, councillors voted last week to offer the role to a new person and the council is now in negotiations with its preferred candidate.

The new CEO should be named by the end of next week. Simon Weston is continuing as acting CEO.

The hunt for a CEO started while Mr Simpson's employment was under scrutiny after an Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruling found he had unjustly dismissed his PA.

The ERA ruled that Mr Simpson was not justified in sacking Jan Walters-Gleeson last September after she signed an election nomination form for mayoral candidate Stan Semenoff. The ERA ruled she was unfairly dismissed and should be awarded more than $37,000 in lost wages and compensation.

The ERA also found Mr Simpson left himself open to bias criticism, made an untrue statement, conducted a "sham" interview and used double standards during the dismissal process.

Any action the council took over the ERA ruling remains unclear.

In September, the WDC revealed that its cost for responding to Mrs Walters-Gleeson's claim to the ERA came to $184,609.12, including GST.

The cost of an earlier internal council review of her dismissal came to $9059, including GST. Mr Simpson earned $299,000 in the 2013/2014 financial year.

Ms Mai thanked Mr Simpson for almost two decades of outstanding service to the district and commitment to what has "often been a very demanding job".

"The council and I extend our best wishes to Mark. Under his stewardship this organisation and the district as a whole has made enormous progress."

She said that, in the 2000s, Mr Simpson was responsible for setting a mission statement for the council, Creating the Ultimate Living Environment, and identifying values for the organisation.

"He led us through the Business Excellence System, and later envisioned 'Whangarei at a Crossroads'. One of the most outstanding achievements by the organisation under his leadership was completion of the Lower Hatea Crossing, Te Matau a Pohe. This project was one of the final links in a roading capital works programme conceived in the mid-1990s."