Mayor stifles airshow debate

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 1

Mayor stifles airshow debate

By

KAY FORRESTER

The Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay, stifled a vote of noconfidence in his rulings as chairman of a special Christchurch City Council meeting last evening by declaring the meeting closed.

Cr Morgan Fahey retains chairmanship of the council’s airport committee after the special meeting, which did not debate his replacement. The meeting was called to discuss Cr Fahey’s replacement as chairman to “restore credibility to the airport committee” after the $245,567 loss on the Christchurch Airport Jubilee Airshow. It was a stormy 30 minutes of points of order called by Labour councillors, rulings from Sir Hamish, assisted by the City Solicitor, and reasons from Cr Fahey why he wanted the meeting adjourned until August 17. The meeting was adjourned on Sir Hamish’s casting vote after a nine-all split along party lines.

The motion for adjournment came from Cr Fahey at the beginning of the meeting. Sir Hamish ruled' that Cr Fahey could give an explanatory statement on the motion, although Labour councillors pointed to standing order 41, which they said precluded any debate on the motion. Sir Hamish

deferred to the City Solicitor, represented by Mr Tom Weston, for a ruling, which allowed Cr Fahey to proceed. His explanation, labelled by Cr Alex Clark as “cheap political point scoring,” was repeatedly interrupted by Labour councillors calling points of order. Cr Vicki Buck demanded to know of Sir Hamish under what rules the meeting was being run. “Under the standing orders of the Christchurch City Council and any other enactment that governs the council’s actions,” Sir Hamish said. Standing orders were being upheld, he said. They were not, the Labour councillors asserted.

Cr Fahey said he sought an adjournment because the council would be in breach of natural justice if it continued with the meeting. The failure of councillors who had requisitioned the special meeting to supply him in advance of the allegations they had made in writing was one breach if the meeting continued. The City Solicitor had suggested that they should do that to give him a fair chance of reply, said Cr Fahey. Cr Fahey asserted also that those councillors who had requested the special meeting had prejudged him. The list of councillors who requisitioned the special meeting includes two Citizens councillors, Crs Clive Cotton and Ron Wright. Cr Fahey said they had been forced to sign the requisition in a bargain with Cr Clark to have the special meeting date changed so he could attend.

The council should not prejudice the full inquiry it had

sought from the Audit Office on the airshow’s financial control. That report has been requested for the August 17 meeting df the council. • Cr Fahey then repeated the motion for adjournment. Labour’s Cr Charles Manning moved an amendment that Cr Fahey stand down as the airport committee chairman until the council had debated the matter. Sir Hamish, the meeting’s chairman, did not accept the amendment. Voting on the adjournment request was on party lines. The Citizens bloc lost the majority because two of its councillors were on holiday. A ruling from the Audit Office’s southern regional office was tabled at yesterday’s meeting. It said, that Cr Fahey had no pecuniary interest with regard to his discussing and voting on who should be chairman of the airport committee.

Sir Hamish used his casting vote in favour of the adjoum-

ment He did not have to explain his reasons for doing so, he said. As Sir Hamjsh rose to close the meeting,, Cr Clark began his motion of no confidence in Sir Hamish’s rulings as chairman. Sir Hamish ruled that the meeting had ended and left the council chamber. Citizens councillors followed.

“We are very angry,” said Cr Clark later. “We wanted this whole thing sorted out. I would not have thought the Citizens people wanted this festering on.” He could see the whole farce happening again at the meeting on August 17. Labour councillors would not give a list of written allegations to Cr Fahey. “We are not making any allegations against him. Our point is that the general lack of confidence and credibility in the airport chairman has to be remedied. That can be done only by replacing him.”

Labour councillors would have to review their next step, Cr Clark said.