Shadbolt lines up councillors for the chop

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt says he has lost confidence in his deputy, Neil Boniface. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt has claimed a minor victory in an ongoing stoush with several councillors.

As he prepared to board a plane for the first leg of a fact-finding trip to Norway today, Mr Shadbolt told NZPA he had the support of enough city councillors to call a special meeting next month to thrash out the issues.

"A majority of councillors have agreed. Now what I have to do is give 21 days' notice."

The meeting follows Mr Shadbolt's failed attempt to oust long serving deputy mayor Neil Boniface at a council meeting last week.

The mayor said he had lost confidence in his deputy and wanted to replace him with Councillor Geoff Piercy through to local government elections next year.

Central to the mayor's concerns was the fact Mr Boniface had failed to inform him when, in August, council chief executive Richard King was charged with drink-driving and careless driving.

Mr King admitted in court last month he had been drinking in his council office before he drove his car into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The deal to get rid of Mr Boniface had already been done behind closed doors but, when Mr Shadbolt moved to formalise it at the meeting, Mr Piercy changed his mind and refused to accept the role of deputy. It prompted an angry outburst from the mayor and brought the spat into the glare of public scrutiny.

Mr Shadbolt and Mr Boniface this week attempted mediation with the help of Gore District Council Mayor Tracy Hicks but, instead of resolving the issue, Mr Shadbolt's beef with his council seems to have broadened.

He confirmed today that, after a series of one-on-one talks with councillors, he had more people lined up for the chop.

"What surprised me is that they told me 'it's not just you and the deputy mayor, we need a cabinet reshuffle'."

Mr Shadbolt said he wanted to take chairmanships and committee appointments off some councillors and award them to others.

"Neil (Boniface) and Geoff (Piercy) are on $108,000 a year. A lot of the jobs go to a few.

"I am part of the old-boys' network in a sense but I would like to see changes."

He said the special meeting, proposed for December 7, would be the old guard versus the new guard.

"Whatever happens, that's it. The final say will be from the people at next year's elections."

Mr Shadbolt said he believed much of the debacle had been stirred up by the Southland Times, because it wanted him gone. He intended to make a complaint to the Press Council.

Recently Mr Shadbolt wrote in a column in the Times that editor Fred Tulett, and his wife Eirwen who is council communications manager, were plotting against him.

Mr Tulett denied he and his wife had a personal vendetta against the mayor.

- NZPA