Waimari chairman says harmony upset

Press, 17 June 1988, Page 5

Waimari chairman says harmony upset

By

SUZANNE KEEN

The Waimairi District Chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, said yesterday she was furious at the way in which statements on amalgamation by Cr Brian Shackel had upset the harmony of the council.

“This has always been a harmonious council. It has disagreed, it has worked together, it has never been a one-man band, and I just think it has been publicly insulted,” she said. Mrs Murray said it was a “mean trick” for the deputy chairman to use his position to put his view above that of other councillors. Cr Shackel yesterday offered his resignation as deputy chairman after strong criticism of him by fellow councillors for publicly endorsing a reorganisation policy that conflicted with Waimairi’s own. There was a unanimous call for him to resign from his position at Wednesday’s council meeting. Mrs Murray said that after reading closely his letter to the chairman of the Local Government Commission, Mr Brian Elwood, she could see that Cr Shackel was not saying anything new. Rather, he was stating the one-city proposal that Waimairi had come up with more than a year

ago. The council never reached agreement on fundamental details of the proposal and it had more recently endorsed a policy for a three-city Christchurch. “I think he has gone off conning the public and getting Brian Elwood to believe that I do not know what I am talking about,” Mrs Murray said. One of the things about Cr Shackel’s actions which most upset her was his not having the “integrity” to encourage debate round the council table before making his personal views on reorganisation public. “It is no more than points-scoring for personal advancement.” Mrs Murray said that Waimairi did not take the local government reform process lightly and was striving for the best options for metropolitan Christchurch and Canterbury. Cr Shackel said he thought he had had little choice other than to offer his resignation as deputy chairman. He was elected by the councillors and they were therefore entitled to seek his resigna-

tion. “I am disappointed to be put in that position, but I had to be my own person. I had a right to say what I did.” Cr Shackel has been a member of the council for 4 years, and deputy chairman for about the last 18 months. He said he was inspired to state his preference for a one-city proposal after comments by Mr Elwood that a larger

Christchurch wouldremove the need for a United Council. A six-week Rotary study tour of southern New Jersey, in the United States, reaffirmed his beliefs. It also meant he missed the chance to put his opinion at several council meetings. “I knew the other councillors would be unhappy with the letter, but the same unhappiness would have developed had I presented it to a full council meeting. “I think we have been planning for something and putting forward proposals that did not really have much chance of success.” A Cr Shackel said he was concerned for the development of Christchurch and he thought one large city would be more efficient than the two-tier situation created with regional councils. There was also a danger with regional bodies that the city authorities could dominate policy in the rural area. "I think we need a unified front and to speak with one voice.”