Mayor Ron Mark to quit council

Carterton District Council deputy mayor John Booth, left, and mayor Ron Mark at the inaugural meeting of the newly-elected council last year.

Departing Carterton mayor Ron Mark, who is making a return to Parliament as a New Zealand First MP, has begun planning a timetable for leaving the mayoralty.

Mr Mark organised an informal meeting at his home yesterday with Deputy Mayor John Booth and Carterton District Council chief executive Colin Wright.

He would not reveal details of that meeting yesterday but said it would pay the Times-Age to have a reporter present at tomorrow's council meeting.

It is expected Mr Booth will stand in as mayor from the time of Mr Mark's resignation until a mayoral by-election is held.

Under the rules of local government Carterton District Council will be required to call nominations for the vacant mayoralty.

Previous legislation allowed for councils to appoint replacements if a term had less than a year to run but that no longer applies and would not have in this case anyway as an election is two years out.

Mr Booth was first elected to the council in 2010, continuing a long legacy of public service by the Booth family in Carterton.

He was sworn in as deputy mayor late last year and Mr Mark has made it quite clear he is hoping Mr Booth will not be challenged for the top job.

It would appear unlikely Mr Booth will face challenges from within the ranks of the existing council but qualified voters from throughout New Zealand have a legal right to nominate.

In May this year Mr Booth had a health scare -- a minor heart condition -- but quickly recovered.

Mr Mark is himself a heart attack survivor, having had an attack at age 41.

He is now 60 and said yesterday he is often accused of having too much energy and vigour, rather than too little.