Embattled mayor to make announcement on future

Andrew Williams

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams says the allegation that he urinated in public would bring the office of the mayor into disrepute if true.

he is making what he calls a significant announcement this afternoon, sparking speculation he may be about to resign.

But Mr Williams yesterday continued to neither confirm or deny that he urinated on a tree outside the council offices after drinking at a local restaurant last Thursday.

He said the allegation was "irrelevant" and "trivia" coming from a Sunday Star Times reporter who he said had stalked him after he left GPK bar and restaurant on Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna, about 9.30pm, to collect his mayoral car at the council underground carpark.

The mayor then drove about 6km to his Campbells Bay home.

"I don't need to put myself up against a tinpot little journalist like that. I have no comment on [urinating in public]. I think it is irrelevant."

Asked if anything about his behaviour on Thursday could bring the office of mayor into disrepute, Mr Williams said: "Well, the question about perhaps having a leak under the tree probably did.

"That would probably be the only thing because it has been confirmed that we did not drink more than what was a reasonable level," he said.

Dominique Parat, who owns the three GPK restaurants in Auckland, said staff told him Mr Williams arrived at the restaurant between 6.15pm and 6.30pm and shared two bottles of red wine among four people. They left at about 10.15pm.

"There was no problem whatsoever. They were talking business. There was no issue," said Mr Parat.

Mr Williams, who has said he arrived about 6pm and left about 9.30pm, said he was with four other men and chatted with other people at the restaurant.

Mr Williams said a letter signed by five councillors and four community board members calling on him to resign would be "filed in the round paper file where it belongs".

He said the letter was the work of a group of councillors who had spent the entire term trying to undermine him.

The letter was initiated by Glenfield community board member Nick Kearney, who is also secretary of the Act Party.

It said Mr Williams' action outlined in the Sunday Star Times brought the office of the mayor into disrepute.

The elected members of the city had had enough of his behaviour over the past two years, and the "right and proper thing to do is to resign and we call on you to do so forthwith".

The letter was signed by councillors Chris Darby, Dianne Hale, Ann Hartley, Margaret Miles, Lisa Whyte and community board members David Thornton, Lindsay Waugh, Lucy Whineray and Jennifer Yorke.

The council's chief executive, John Brockies said the letter was addressed to Mr Williams, so he would do nothing about it unless it was passed on to him by the mayor.

A mayor cannot be fired as he is an elected official.

Mr Darby said the letter was designed to give Mr Williams some space to move aside after a long list of incidents.

"I would like Andrew to reflect and think about what has gone on. Maybe he is not aware of his behaviour and oblivious to the wrongs of his activity," he said.

Mr Williams said reaction to the stories about his behaviour was overwhelmingly positive. The few negative comments were from the camp of political opponents, he said.

Two of Auckland's other three big-city mayors, Auckland City Mayor John Banks and Manukau Mayor Len Brown, did not want to comment on the claims about Mr Williams. Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey could not be reached for comment.

There has also been no comment from Deputy Mayor Julia Parffitt, a member of Mr Williams' 'A' team, over the past two days.

- with NZ Herald staff