Former councillor Mike Lee is considering a comeback on Auckland Council. Photo / Michael Craig
Former councillor Mike Lee is considering a comeback on Auckland Council. Photo / Michael Craig
Three political veterans - Maurice Williamson, Mike Lee and George Wood - are considering standing for Auckland Council at October's local body elections.
Former North Shore mayor Wood is all but confirmed as a candidate for the North Shore ward, while Williamson and Lee are seriously considering standing in theHowick and Waitematā and Gulf wards respectively.
The three politicians, all in their seventies, have been approached by political allies and residents concerned at the direction of the Super City under successive left-leaning councils.
Lee comes from a left background, but had a toxic relationship with mayor Phil Goff before losing his seat in 2019.
George Wood is planning a return to Auckland Council. Photo / Dean Purcell
The environmentalist, who oversaw 12 new regional parks as chair of the former Auckland Regional Council, said being lobbied by a range of people to stand again is a measure of the desperation among Aucklanders at the present state of affairs.
"I'm aware Auckland Council is not a very pleasant place to work. In addition to the quasi-bankrupt state of the city's finances, a toxic political culture now dominates.
"Dissenters around the council table are being bullied into silence and even the public itself is being bossed around by people who are meant to serve them," Lee said.
He has still to decide whether to stand "one more time", but if he does he will be up against Pippa Coom, who beat him by just 300 votes three years ago.
The Herald understands the centre-right ticket Communities and Residents has agreed not to contest Waitematā if Lee stands. In 2019, the C&R candidate, Sarah Trotman, came third with 2900 votes and many of Lee's supporters believe that cost him his job.
Former National Party Cabinet minister Maurice Williamson is considering standing for the Auckland Council. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Williamson, the former National Party Cabinet minister who last year returned to his home in east Auckland from being New Zealand's consul-general in Los Angeles, said he is "seriously considering" standing in Howick.
"The pressure on me to stand is unbelievable and centred around the rates keep going up and up and up and services are going down and down.
"We have got to break the back of the spending monster and return to fiscal discipline," said Williamson.
If he does stand, it will be alongside sitting councillor Sharon Stewart for the two Howick seats.
Wood stepped down as a councillor in 2016 and was elected to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board where he has served two terms.
Danielle Grant (above) and George Wood are due to be selected as the two C&R candidates for North Shore. Photo / Dean Purcell
He and Kaipatiki Local Board deputy chair Danielle Grant are the only two nominations for the C&R - North Shore ticket and are due to be selected to challenge sitting councillors Chris Darby and Richard Hills.
Wood, a former policeman and North Shore mayor from 1998 to 2007, said people north of the Harbour Bridge are paying a lot of rates but not getting an adequate return.
He also does not believe the five councillors north of the bridge are working together as a block - a reference to Darby and Hills being part of Goff's 'A' team, and Albany councillors Wayne Walker and John Watson and Rodney councillor Greg Sayers being on the outer.
