Mayor calls for probe after paper reports board appointments.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown has ordered an investigation into a councillor suspected of leaking the names of council-controlled organisation (CCO) board appointments.
A source close to Mr Brown said the mayor had "lost faith in a member of the committee and is asking the chief executive to conduct a full investigation into the leak of information".
This followed online reports at the weekend that two people with close links to Mr Brown - former Manukau City Council chief executive Leigh Auton and former Manukau deputy mayor Gary Troup - would be appointed to CCO boards on Thursday.
The mayoral source refused to name the member of the CCO strategy and appointments subcommittee suspected of leaking the information.
Asked if it was Jami-Lee Ross, the Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader who issued a press release at the weekend criticising CCO appointments based on "long-standing friendships and political campaign connections", the source said "no comment".
Yesterday, Mr Ross categorically denied leaking information to the Sunday Star-Times reporter who named Mr Auton and Mr Troup.
Mr Ross said he had been clear that he could not comment on who was being proposed for the CCO appointments but felt the item should not be conducted behind closed doors.
The former Manukau City councillor and Mr Brown have a chequered history.
Mr Ross who led an attack on Mr Brown's credit card expenditure as Mayor of Manukau this year.
Mr Ross, who has been given a minor role heading the tenders and procurement panel in Mr Brown's team, is being tipped as a possible National Party candidate in Botany if Pansy Wong quits Parliament after her perks scandal, forcing a byelection.
Mr Brown has refused to comment on the names of up to 15 new directors for the CCOs, to be discussed behind closed doors on Thursday at the CCO subcommittee he chairs.
In the past councils have discussed CCO appointments behind closed doors, but Mr Ross says now is the time to throw open these discussions and adopt the practice of public companies where directors are voted on at annual meetings of shareholders.
Yesterday, Mr Auton said he had applied for several positions on the six available CCOs. Mr Troup said he had applied for two CCO appointments.
It is believed Mr Auton and Mr Troup have been recommended for roles on the property and regional facilities CCO boards respectively.
All those who applied for CCO roles have been shortlisted by a recruitment specialist, Sheffield, before going through a second shortlist process headed by Mr Brown and council chief executive Doug McKay.
This has resulted in a list of 15 names to go forward to Thursday's meeting for discussion by Mr Brown and six councillors, including Mr Ross.
Mr Auton had something of a controversial end to 32 years' service at Manukau City Council.
He received a 9.4 per cent pay rise when the economic downturn hit, approved f $186,000 for staff to attend a leadership course in Queenstown months before the council closed and put $244 on his council credit card for combined birthday celebrations with Mr Brown and Mr Troup.
Mr Troup, a test cricketer from 1976 to 1986 and Manukau City councillor and community board member, said he put his name forward for a CCO role because of his community and sporting backgrounds.
