An independent inquiry by Local Government Minister Chris Tremain is the only way to resolve if Whangarei District Council CEO Mark Simpson was right to sack a staff member for signing the nomination form of a mayoral candidate while letting another staff member work for a second mayoral candidate, a district councillor says.
Mayoral candidate Crichton Christie has rejected a claim by Acting Whangarei Mayor Phil Halse that the matter regarding the review of Mr Simpson's action is now over.
Mr Simpson has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the council after he sacked his assistant Jan Walters for signing the nomination form for Stan Semenoff but let another of his staff Ford Watson to do some work for a second candidate Warwick Syers. A review committee set up to look at the circumstances surrounding the two cases of three councillors - Mr Halse, Jeroen Jongejans and John Williamson - and independent chair Auckland lawyer Simon Stokes, found the election protocols partly used to sack Ms Walters, rather Mr Simpson's conduct, required closer examination.
The council voted to review the protocols on staff involvement in elections ahead of the next elections. Mr Halse said that was now the end of the matter, but Mr Christie has written to Mr Tremain asking him to investigate further.
A spokeswoman for Mr Tremain said the minister was out of the country, but would not comment on this matter ahead of Saturday's elections anyway. "This is far from over, especially as there is a pending court case over Ms Walters' dismissal. It is clear Mr Halse is trying to bury the issue. He plainly does not want to see the potential cost to ratepayers of the CEO's actions," Mr Christie said.
