Editorial: Mayoral days are numbered

No matter how distasteful some may find the way the story was revealed, ultimately Mr Brown put himself in this position. Photo / Michael Craig

Dear oh dear, Auckland mayor Len Brown has certainly got himself in a right royal mess and it just seems to be getting worse by the day.

Even though this is an Auckland story, it is one that has captivated the whole country as more revelations about his affair with a younger woman come out. I am sure most of us have been thinking the same thing - what the hell was he thinking?

He has fallen into the oldest political trap in the book and now he is struggling to hang on to his job and his family.

One thing is clear - his political enemies had a hand in these revelations by Bevan Chuang, the woman he had the affair with, and they aren't going to stop until he resigns.

No matter how distasteful some may find the way the story was revealed, ultimately Mr Brown put himself in this position.

In the debate over the last few days, some have said that it is a private matter and has no bearing on the job he is doing as mayor.

The problem is that it actually does raise questions about his decision making and puts a dent in his credibility. It has also undone all the good work he has done as mayor.

The pressure is only going to keep building on Mr Brown. Already his chief executive Doug McKay has announced an inquiry into the scandal. I would not be surprised if it all gets too much for Mr Brown and he walks away from it.

It is probably the honourable thing to do. He may regret it and may feel ashamed, but he should have thought of the consequences when he embarked on the affair.