Brown accepts Simpson needs time but warns a prolonged indecision could lead to a deputy reshuffle, they say.
Simpson says she hasn’t decided yet and remains focused on her current role.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is starting to lose patience with his deputy Desley Simpson over whether she will challenge him for the mayoralty, insiders say.
They say the mayor accepts Simpson needs space to process Brown’s decision last Wednesday to seek a second term and what it means for her political ambitions.
“This city has a brilliant future, and being mayor is a job I want to keep doing,” Brown told supporters at his campaign launch at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Westhaven Marina.
Last Wednesday, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced he will be seeking a second term. Photo / Alex Burton
One insider said if Simpson needs another week or two to reach a decision, the mayor is okay with that.
But the insider said the process cannot go on forever and if the speculation starts to affect the council’s governance, the mayor would be forced to appoint a new deputy.
“The best case for everyone is that the deputy accepts where public opinion is, and the current team keeps working together the way it has pretty well for the last two and a half years.
“But if the deputy mayor stays unresolved for too much longer, then the mayor will have to do a bit of a reshuffle. A deputy mayor can’t be seen not to support the mayor, at least in public,” said the insider.
Ōrākei councillor and Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson in the Auckland Council offices. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Yesterday, Simpson said she was not interested in intrigue by alleged insiders.
“I have not yet made a decision about my future. I am focused on my job and working with my colleagues and the mayor to deliver on what we’ve promised.
“The mayor and I continue to hold constructive conversations,” Simpson said.
Nominations for the local body elections close on August 1. Postal voting opens on September 9, and the polls close at noon on October 11.
Simpson’s interest in the mayoralty broke on January 30 – the day she returned from a holiday in Italy and the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance revealed the domain “Desleyformayor.co.nz” had been registered by her son.
Simpson, the councillor for Ōrākei, told the Herald on her return the domain was “a bit of a laugh”, but did not rule out standing.
She confirmed she had been thinking about running for mayor but it was “a bit soon” for a decision.
The insiders refused to put on a time on when the mayor’s patience may run out.
“He’ll be generous to his deputy right up until he thinks the speculation conflicts with the best interests of Auckland ratepayers.”
When approached for comment, Brown said: “I’m working for Auckland and don’t have anything to say on that stuff.”
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