Woman chairman for Waimairi

Press, 21 October 1983, Page 1

Woman chairman for Waimairi

By

JANETTA MACKAY

Mrs Margaret Murray last evening emerged from the Waimairi factional battles as the first woman chairman of the District Council.

Her election, by seven votes to five, emphasised deep divisions between councillors and set a block voting pattern for key council positions. Trade-offs were evident in moves which swept the former deputy chairman, Cr lan Calvert, from his post and saw the replacement of long-serving committee chairmen with supporters of Mrs Murray. Cr W. T. Rice was elected deputy chairman. An outsider on the old council, his elevation and that of the newly elected Cr G. L. Freeman, was clearly a deal made for support. Cr Freeman was given the chairmanship of the works committee, ahead of Cr Calvert.

Both Crs Rice and Freeman, known opponents of a planned northern transfer station in Redwood, were elected as the council’s representatives on the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee. The “carrot” of committee membership was a deciding factor in behind-the-scenes lobbying for positions.

Until late afternoon some councillors expected a compromise chairman, probably Cr R. W. Skjellerup, to be selected. A more “balanced” council was also expected with some councillors who had backed the defeated district chairman, Mr D. B. Rich, retaining positions of influence.

Shortly before the annual meeting began, Mr Rich, who failed to win re-elec-tion after 18 years on the council, tipped Mrs Murray as chairman. He said divisions within the council had widened and party politics were clearly at work. Mrs Murray, who with Cr P. M. Carter organised a Coalition of Independents to contest the local body elections, has consistently denied political motives. Mrs Murray, Cr Carter,, and the newly elected coalition members, Crs B. R. Shackel, J. J. Darby, and J. de C. Hanafin, entered the council chambers together. The atmosphere was tense with sarcastic interchanges throughout the meeting. However, once the voting began there was little doubt which way the council would swing. Cr Skjellerup nominated Cr Calvert for the chair, seconded by Cr M. P. Hobby.

Cr Carter then nominated Mrs Murray, seconded by Cr Hanafin.

. Support for Cr Calvert, a councillor for 15 years, came from himself, Crs Skjellerup, Hobby, A. A. Adcock, and Hazel Tait.

The five coalition members supported Mrs Murray, as did Crs Rice and Freeman.

The voting split was the same for the deputy chairman and for committee chairmen and council representatives on other bodies such as the Canterbury United Council.

The complex town-plan-ning chairmanship was given to Cr Shackel with Cr Carter becoming chairman of the finance and by-laws committee after three years on the council.

After the meeting, the old guard expressed dismay. They said that soon after 5 p.m. it was learned that Cr Rice would back Mrs Murray. _

Before that time he had seemed willing to compromise, they said. Cr Calvert questioned the wisdom of allocating chairmanships to new council-, lors. Specialised knowledge was needed to lead deliberations involving ratepayers’ interests, he said. Defeated councillors would, not vote en bloc in retaliation but Cr Calvert said, “We won’t suffer fools gladly.”

Allowing Cr Rice on the refuse disposal committee was a clear “about face” from Mrs Murray, said Cr Adcock.

Cr Adcock, himself an opponent of the transfer station, was replaced on the committee by Mrs Murray who has until now supported the majority council view in favour of its construction.

She said last evening that Cr Rice had a very sound argument against the costs and need for the station. It was now over to him and Cr Freeman to convince the Refuse Disposal Committee of their views. Cr Calvert said that he and Cr Hobby, the former finance and by-laws committee chairman, had resigned themselves to losing their posts. The experienced Cr Skjellerup, who opposed Mr Rich for the chairmanship in 1980 and has largely remained aloof from recent sparring, was the obvious compromise.

“I would have stepped down for him,” said Cr Calvert.

Cr Tait said Mrs Murray had telephoned her earlier in the week to suggest that the chairmanship of works go to Cr Skjellerup and that of town planning to Cr Tait if her bid for the district chairmanship was supported. Cr Rice had asked that the concession be made in the interests of a “balanced” council. However, the offer had been withdrawn, Cr Tait said.

Both groups had considered promoting Cr Rice as deputy chairman but Cr Adcock speculated that Mrs Murray had made him the better offer. Both Crs Rice and Freeman left hurriedly after the meeting. Most other councillors remained for supper and talked in separate groups. Mrs Murray said she had wanted to establish a team on the council “but the others wanted to hold out for Cr Calvert as chairman.”

The battle for the post had been no more contested than in previous years but the jockeying for secondary positions had been spirited. Mr Rich had polarised the

council, but she* would work to heal the rifts, Mrs Murray said. She and other coalition members would vote as Independents and she aimed to keep her office door open to the public. Until now, Mrs Murray, a National Party executive officer, has been cagey about her intentions of standing again for Yaldhurst electorate nomination.

In 1981 she made a spirited run against the sitting Labour Party member, Mr M. A. Connelly. “I don’t think it would be humanly possible to do the job of district chairman and the very demanding job of standing for Parliament,” she said.

She pledged to seek a good working relationship round the council table.

Cr Skjellerup predicted stormy meetings ahead. “I hope councillors will settle down and act in the best interests of the district, but I see difficulties,” he said.

The coalition had clearly not yet disbanded in spite of its assurances that its “loose association” would be dissolved after the October 8 elections.