Nelson’s mayoral race is heating up, with former MP Nick Smith confirming that he will stand for the position.
Smith joins current councillors Matt Lawrey, Tim Skinner, Rohan O’Neill-Stevens and former councillor Kerry Neal, as well as Richard Osmaston who is also standing for mayor in five other regions.
Smith says he wants to lead the city in a “positive new direction”.
“I am standing for mayor because I love Nelson and worry that our council has lost its way. I’m offering my governance experience and my energy to provide the city with positive new direction.”
Smith announced four weeks ago that he was considering a tilt at the city’s top job and he says that he’s decided to stand after speaking with community leaders and councillors.
“The consistent message was that the council’s problems are deep-seated, are not just about the acrimony around the council table but also a breakdown between council and its staff. I was told the problems from the previous term have compounded over this last term. I was taken back by the seriousness of the council’s problems and the belief from some that unless there is a change in direction there is risk of commissioners having to be appointed.”
He says he will stand as an independent, not aligned with the National party with which he spent more than two decades serving in parliament.
“I want to be Nelson’s mayor and not a National mayor. I will commend Labour when they do good for Nelson and condemn National where their policies are bad for Nelson. I am not part of any group of council candidates as I want to be able to work collaboratively with whoever the community elects.”
He says the most important issues for the region are the Three Waters proposal, which he opposes, as well as driving a “re-think” of the proposed library development which he says is “too expensive”.
Osmaston, who lives in St Arnaud, announced his candidacy in six regions over the weekend. He first stood for election as mayor of Nelson in 2013 and again in 2016 but didn’t stand in Nelson in 2019, opting to run in the Grey District.
Bowater drops out:
On Friday, first term councillor Yvonne Bowater joined five of her colleagues in announcing that she will not be standing for another term at Nelson City Council.
So far, mayor Rachel Reese and councillors Brian McGurk, Judene Edgar, Kate Fulton and Gaile Noonan have announced that they will not seek another term.
Bowater says her decision not to stand was based on “changing family circumstances”.
“Being a councillor is a full-time commitment and unless I can give 100% to the role then I don’t feel that I can re-stand,” Bowater says.
She says that it’s been a privilege to serve the community and is grateful to have been given the opportunity.
“I have worked hard to honour the trust that the community placed in me and have never taken this commitment lightly.”
King to stand in Tasman:
Tasman mayor Tim King will re-stand at this year’s election, he has confirmed to Nelson Weekly.
It comes as the first challenger for his job emerges, former real estate agent Mike Harvey.
Tim says his first term as mayor has been “phenomenally tricky” with the Covid-19 pandemic, the government’s Three Waters proposal and cost overruns on the Waimea Community Dam.
But he says the support he has had from the community has convinced him to run again.
“I don’t think I could have picked a more difficult term to be mayor but I’ve been bloody lucky with the support I’ve had from this group of councillors and the community, it’s been great.
Tim had 12 years as deputy mayor before being elected to the mayoralty in 2019. He says he’s never been much of a campaigner and said there wouldn’t be much of one this year either.
