Cr Dunbar likely to be Deputy Mayor

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 18

Cr Dunbar likely to be Deputy Mayor

'By our City Council reporter)

The return to power of the Citizens’ Association on the Christchurch City Council will probably bring some reorganisation of council committees, and has raised several questions about who will act as chairman of them, who will represent the council on outside bodies (such as the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority) and. perhaps of most interest to the public, who will be Deputy Mayor.

These questions have not been discussed formally by the successful Citizens’ candidates as yet—a meeting is planned for this week—and it is by no means certain to what extent some of them would be willing, or available, for the various posts.

For various reasons, one committee might be left under a Labour chairman, and the possibility of the Mayor-elect, Cr H. G. Hay, taking a committee himself cannot be ruled out, although it seems unlikely. Three candidates seem to be in the running for Deputy Mayor, each for a different reason, and a major factor might be their availability, or willingness, to accept the role.

Sitting All three are sitting councillors who were returned on Saturday — Cr M. R. Carter, Cr P. J. R. Skellerup, and Cr P. D. Dunbar. Cr Carter would seem to be the immediate choice. He has extensive local body experience and acted as deputyleader of the Citizens’ councillors in the last council. But he is certain to be chairman of the Christchurch Drainage Board again for the next three years, and will probably be asked to take the policy and resources (finance) committee of the council. He might not seek to be Deputy Mayor. Cr Skellerup has been a very long-serving member of the City Council and, before the introduction of the ward system, topped the poll on several occasions. He was top-poller in his ward again on Saturday and also took the most votes in elections for the Lyttelton Harbour; Board. These qualifications] have made councillors Depute Mayor before, but Cr Skellerup, too, might decline the post. His newly-acquired seat on the Harbour Board and other duties outside the council might persuade him to stand back. Cr Dunbar Cr Dunbar, on balance, seems to be the most likely choice. He has earned the respect of councillors on both sides of the table, and proved on Saturday the extent of his personal following in the Pegasus ward. His comparative youth might lead the Citizens’ Association to regard him as the “heirapparent” and the Deputy Mayoralty would enable the association to groom him for higher office while assisting the consolidation of his posi-] tion in an essentially Labour ward. He will probably get the works committee too. He is the only Citizens’ member of the present works committee who will be in the chambers when the new council takes office and it is a committee in which he has taken a particular interest.

The present works and J traffic committee might be split into two, the traffic part goin 0 to Cr B. J. Britten, who; was traffic committee chairman in the last Citizens] council three years ago. If! this happens, the public: utilities committee will prob-; bably be split also, the air-: .port section going into traffic: and the other parts (such as waterworks and the M.E.D.), into Cr Dunbar’s works com-] mittee. It is almost certain that Cr; Carter will take the policy and resources committee, one of the most onerous chair-

11 manships of the lot. But, if ■ he does not, Mr Hay might r consider taking the job himself. |, o . Long interest j - Cr Skellerup will take the; - recreation and cultural comt mittee, or at least the parks i and reserves part of it. It is: e a post he has held before: t and in which he has held a - long and abiding interest. In e the present council he and, ) the Mayor (Mr N. G. Picker-! ?: ing) were the council’s special j yi committee on Queen Eliza- ; beth II Park. a The cultural side of this ( ( committee might be split ; ? away, particularly the library 1 i] section, and go to Cr H. L. ' 11 Garrett, the Citizens spokes- 1 s lman on library matters in the 1 ' present council. C The second of the former ' to be returned 1 r I after a three year absence, 1 ’IMr P. N. G. Blaxall, is likely •|to get the welfare committee. ; r It is one to which he is suited, i ; and it has been in the field < i of welfare that he has made i his career. , 1 Lawyers I The remaining three com-: 1 mittes are those in which! new councillors might come J ■■to the fore, but one at least,! 1 f the town planning committee, ' might be left in the hands of I J its present Labour chairman, <Cr M. McG. Clark. Because of the nature of 1 s 'the committee's work, two of • ■'the new Citizens councillors 1 N. G. Hattaway and ‘ J. F. Burn, are well-suited to < " it with the legal expertise 1 ' they bring to the council. But 1 of this com- I r mittee is also very time- 1 Lconsuming, perhaps more so I '(than any other, and it may r ;well be that their profes- < sional practices can not af- i e ford that much time. 1 U There is a precedent for a:: ‘ Citizens council to leave a J e committee with an opposition!' s chairman — the last Citizens .

jcouncil gave Mr Pickering the health and general committee. Both Mr Hattaway and Mr 'Burn, together with another new councillor, Mr W. J. A. Brittenden, are likely to receive fore consideration for 1 the remaining two commit- : tees, housing and property, t and health and general. - 1 The Canterbury Regional Planning Authority is one of , Hthe outside bodies in which] ■ Mr Hay might be interestde. - As the new. enlarged auth-! • ority will probably have five ■ representatives from the City; • Council, it would not be im-; (probable that Mr Hay is one; 1 1of them, particularly in view] •|of his known desire to improve co-operation between I local bodies in the Christ-] ’ church area. It is likely that] : one, or even two, of the re- ] ; maining four places will be! ’ left with Labour councillors. I During the last three years,! when there were four seats |on the old authority, Labour; members filled them all. : ! I Town Hall

The Town Hall board of management has places for six City Council representatives and is an outside body in which Mr Hay will certainly continue his interest. IHe is chairman of the present board, and has always had a very close association with the Town Hall. Three other members of the present board are likely to continue to represent the council there — Cr H. L. Garrett (Citizens’), Cr W. Massey and Sir Robert Macfarlane (Labour) — assuming that Cr Massey will not be troubled to hold his election-night placing. Cr Dunbar will probably be asked to join the board, but the sixth place appears to be quite open. Most of the other vacancies on outside bodies will be filled by councillors expressing a particular interest in them. I One that will have to be! filled early in the new year] | is one of the two council; ;seats on the Christchurch-! ] Lyttelton Road Tunnel] Authority. Mr W. P. Glue, al foundation member of the I authority and a former Ctii-| zens’ councillor retires by] rotation in January. Mr Glue made no secret; of the fact that he continued, on the authority to keep a] Labour appointee off. Had the Citizens’ Association won! the council three years ago he would have retired. The defeated Mayor (Mr N. G. Pickering) is the other appointed member. He replaced Mr L. G. Amos, a Citizens’ councillor, when his term expired. Mr Pickering: iwill remain a member until IJanuary, 1977.