Murray’s abstention irks Close

Press, 18 March 1989, Page 1

Murray’s abstention irks Close

By SUZANNE KEEN The chairman of the Waimairi District Council, Mrs Margaret Murray, has been accused of showing an “appalling lack of leadership” in the development of the new Christchurch City.

A city councillor, Mr David Close, yesterday criticised Mrs Murray for abstaining from a vote on whether her council should give $3OOO towards an investigation into fighting amalgamation in the courts.

“It was very weak of her to abstain from voting on the question of legal action when her vote could have

blocked it,” he said. A number of councils throughout New Zealand are supporting the campaign to seek legal advice from a Queen’s Counsel and see if they have a case for challenging the Local Government Commission in court.

The issue caused a division at a Waimairi meeting on Wednesday. A motion that the first stage of the campaign be supported was carried, six votes to five.

Cr Close said that if Mrs Murray had voted as chairman, her casting vote would have blocked the move and

created a better atmosphere for the transition committee for the new city to work in.

“I find it amazing that someone who has publicly announced her ambition to be deputy mayor of the new city should support legal action against it.” He said that the transition committee, which Mrs Murray was, a member of, had a responsibility to ensure a smooth transition from the existing authorities to the new city council. “Supporting legal action against the new city is a strange way of carrying out that responsibility. Cr Murray should

resign from the transition committee if she does not know whether she is for or against.”

Cr Close said that two other Waimairi members of the transition committee, Crs Fred Blogg and John Hanafin, had taken an honest stand in voting against the council motion.

At Wednesday’s meeting Mrs Murray said that although she did not feel strongly that the council should not support the seeking of legal advice, she believed it would be a futile exercise. She was unable to be reached for further comment last evening.