Leo Molloy bowed out of the mayoral race two weeks ago and now says he is voting for Wayne Brown. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Leo Molloy bowed out of the mayoral race two weeks ago and now says he is voting for Wayne Brown. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Former candidate Leo Molloy says he will vote for Wayne Brown for the Auckland mayoralty, claiming the businessman will tidy up the council balance sheet and ensure the city lives within its means.
In a Facebook post, the self-described "hospo legend" said he is not endorsing Brown but will be voting for him to keep out Labour-endorsed Efeso Collins.
Molloy quit the mayoral race nearly three weeks ago, just prior to the deadline for all candidates to nominate themselves and after a poll showed him dropping from second to third place behind Collins.
In the Facebook post, Molloy said the other main contender, Viv Beck, was a lovely person with some great abilities, but a process of elimination led him to Brown - "an old pugnacious sort of p…."
Auckland Mayoral candidate Wayne Brown. Photo / Dean Purcell.
The two abrasive figures sparred in July over an expletive-ridden appearance by Molloy on Guy Williams' satirical television programme. Brown said the "foul-mouthed rants" meant his rival was not fit for the job. Molloy called Brown a "dead man walking".
With Brown just four points behind Collins in the latest Ratepayers' Alliance-Curia poll, Molloy talked up his former rival as a ruthless and fiscally responsible candidate who will not put up with any rubbish from the likes of Auckland Transport.
Potentially, Brown could snag a big chunk of Molloy's claimed 75,000 votes of support before quitting the race.
Brown said he and Molloy do not agree on everything, but he is grateful for his vote.
"I promise to deliver to his supporters the change from the Phill Goff-Efeso Collins council they have rightly been demanding, and which we deserve," he said.
Molloy told the Herald today he felt sorry for Beck, who has been "dismantled piece by piece" over revelations of an unpaid $353,000 bill to an advertising company, which no longer works on her campaign.
A subsequent advertising adviser, Mike Hutcheson, has also parted ways with Beck, saying he liked her, but disagreed with the direction she was being steered by her political backers Communities and Residents(C&R) and a social media contractor.
Molloy said Beck had been badly let down by C&R, who had endorsed her but not delivered on support and resources, he said.
The C&R executive is meeting tonight where it will discuss Beck's situation, president Kit Parkinson said.
Beck will not be at the meeting, but Parkinson said he has asked for one of her team to attend to lay out the bare facts of what's going on.
The meeting is expected to discuss matters around the unpaid bill to Hello Ltd and the release of an email accusing her campaign team, including members of C&R, of making false claims the debt was being settled. Beck's position as the C&R-endorsed mayoral candidate will not be up for discussion, Parkinson said.
Last week Parkinson said there was nothing to the advertising bill, saying he had found out there was a small issue way back but it was settled and everyone was happy.
Today, Parkinson would not name the person who told him that.
Asked if he had been misled, Parkinson said: "I wasn't deliberately misled. That was his understanding."
Nick Albrecht, a member of the C&R executive and a member of Beck's campaign team, also told the Herald last week the bill was "no big issue" and "a good two thirds had been paid''. The Herald is seeking comment from him to validate his claims.
In light of the issues with Beck's campaign, Parkinson has also emailed elected members to say C&R had endorsed Beck as an independent candidate for the Auckland mayoralty having considered her capabilities, style and policies, which align strongly with those of C&R.
The email said C&R and Beck run separate campaigns and where appropriate the two will work together to bring a centre-right voice around the council table to help defeat Labour and City Vision - a ticket of Labour, Green and community independents.
Leo Molloy says he is voting for Wayne Brown (left) not Viv Beck, (right). Photo / Greg Bowker
Communities and Residents is a centre-right ticket in Auckland. It is loosely connected to the National Party, which has a policy of not being involved in local government elections or standing candidates under the party name.
The ticket was formed in 1938 under the name Citizens & Ratepayers and controlled the former Auckland City Council for most of the following decades.
Since the 2010 amalgamation of Auckland's seven councils and regional council to form Auckland Council, also known as the Super City, C&R has failed to broaden its appeal across the wider city.
The centre-left has controlled the Super City under Mayors Len Brown and Phil Goff for the past 12 years and this year is the first time C&R has endorsed a centre-right mayoral candidate.
C&R changed its name to Communities and Residents in 2012.
