Hamilton city councillor Andrew Bydder says he will stand for both Waipā and Hamilton councils at the upcoming local body elections.
Andrew Bydder
Bydder, a 54-year-old Cambridge architectural designer, has ruled out a bid for Waipā mayor citing the need for a supportive council.
“I would hate to be mayor with a council that works against me.”
Waipā’s decision to move its meeting days from Tuesdays to Wednesdays has made it possible for him to sit on both councils, he said.
Hamilton meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“I imagine if I got elected to Waipā, certain people would be quite desperate to change it back,” he said. “I would argue there is an advantage in having a councillor on both (councils) because Hamilton and Waipā should be working more closely together.”
Being a councillor was a part time role which made dual representation manageable, he said.
The minimum amount paid to a Hamilton councillor is $83,264 and $37,884 for Waipā, so Bydder could earn more than $122,000 a year if elected to both.
Roger Gordon
He would not be drawn as to which ward he would stand in. He lives in Cambridge, next door to Cr Roger Gordon, but can stand in any ward.
Deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, Mike Pettit and Philip Coles are all Cambridge councillors who live outside the ward.
Bydder could stand in Te Awamutu, Pirongia-Kakepuku, Maungatautari or Cambridge.
“I think with my notoriety I could stand in any ward, and it would be where the gap needs to be filled.”
Bydder said if he was elected to Waipā, he would not apologise to mayor Susan O’Regan for expletives he used about her in his submission to the council’s Cambridge Connections proposals.
“I’m not going to entertain it.”
Susan O’Regan
Bydder was penalised by Hamilton for a “material breach” of the council’s Code of Conduct when he used a derogatory term commonly used decades ago to describe people with cerebral palsy and for disrespecting others.
See: Bydder penalised for code breach
He claimed Waipā still has a poor record of consultation and his comments then about where to put a third bridge – dubbed the Blue Blob when it was released – was another example of that.
It was “the most astonishing display of arrogance,” he told The News last year.
“They (Waipā) did end up apologising to the community, but I haven’t actually seen them change the way they behave.
“The consultation is still coming out as plenty of spin on what the council wants.
“They’re still intending to remove car parks from the Cambridge CBD. All that sort of stuff,” he said.
Roy Pilott
Bydder also criticised Waipā’s media practices, claiming the council misleads the public with some of its releases.
“They lack journalistic standards,” he said noting the council’s media activities often compete with local news outlets like Good Local Media.
The competition comment echoes views put forward by Good Local Media editorial director Roy Pilott.
O’Regan has confirmed she will seek another term, but of her 11 councillors, six have yet to show their hands to The News and two have said they will not seek re-election.
The six yet to announce are: Liz Stolwyk, Roger Gordon, Mike Pettit, Lou Brown, Clare St Pierre and Dale-Maree Morgan. Andrew Brown and Bruce Thomas are stepping down while Marcus Gower, Philip Coles and Mike Montgomerie have all announced they are standing again.
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