Gore mayor Ben Bell and council boss in standoff, intermediary appointed as relationship breaks down

The relationship between Gore Mayor Ben Bell (left), and Gore council chief executive Steve Parry has broken down. Photo / ODT

Gore Mayor Ben Bell and Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry are at a standoff.

The two men have had a breakdown in their relationship — and an intermediary will be appointed.

The council released a statement last night regarding an extraordinary meeting of the council last week.

At the meeting, the council noted the breakdown in the relationship between the mayor and the chief executive and agreed to nominate and appoint an elected member to act as a dedicated intermediary between the mayor and chief executive for governance and relevant operational matters.

The intermediary will be appointed at the next council meeting next month.

That dedicated elected member will provide formal bi-monthly written updates to council and all terms of reference and delegations for the designated elected member will be drafted and presented for consideration and adoption at the April council meeting.

Parry declined to comment when contacted last night and Bell could not be contacted.

A statement from deputy mayor Keith Hovell and the council’s community lifestyle services general manager Rex Capil said the purpose of the meeting was to provide councillors with an update from the chief executive’s appraisal committee.

The extraordinary meeting was called by Bell.

All councillors were present at the meeting, which deputy mayor Hovell chaired.

The meeting lasted four hours.

Bell and Parry were given the chance to address the meeting and answer questions from councillors separately.

At no point during the meeting was there a vote of no confidence in the mayor.

The council appointed Crs Hovell, Richard McPhail, John Gardyne and Bronwyn Reid as members of the chief executive appraisal committee.

At 23, Bell became the youngest mayor in New Zealand when he won the election in October. But it has been a rocky road since.

His nomination for deputy mayor, Stewart MacDonell, did not get support from other councillors and he was eventually replaced by Hovell.

Bell also faced questions over his appointment of his own personal assistant without using council staff and the staging of an expensive council retreat just after taking office.

He won the election by eight votes from long-time mayor Tracy Hicks.