Anne Marie Parsons says she was confronted by Dunedin mayoralty aspirant Lee Vandervis after a candidates' debate in the city on Tuesday. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery
An 80-year-old woman says she was left shaken by Dunedin mayoralty aspirant Lee Vandervis confronting her after a candidates' debate.
"I had fear in my belly," Anne Marie Parsons said yesterday after contacting the Otago Daily Times.
"He's in a position of power and importance.
"It's just revolting."
The incident happened shortly after a mayoral candidates' forum about performing arts in Dunedin on Tuesday night.
Parsons said she felt threatened and had a poor night's sleep afterwards, but she would not be cowed by the combative councillor.
Witnesses said the councillor adopted an intimidating posture and waved a finger in her face.
Cr Vandervis had no direct comment initially about the altercation and urged the Otago Daily Times to focus on issues such as escalating council debt.
Rival candidate Mandy Mayhem-Bullock said she rushed over and asked if Cr Vandervis was picking on a little old lady.
"I felt like he was almost spitting in her face," Mayhem-Bullock said.
"There was no mistaking the body language," she said.
"It was aggressive."
Cr Vandervis highlighted that "almost spitting" had come up before during a previous allegation about his conduct and said this actually meant not spitting.
Meeting attendee David Bennett said the incident was brief and he was not quite sure what Cr Vandervis said.
"I did see Lee Vandervis shaking his finger in the face of an old lady," Bennett said.
"He was standing over somebody sitting in a chair. It seemed quite intimidating."
Both Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins and mayoral candidate Sophie Barker said they did not see the incident, but confirmed Parsons appeared shaken or upset after it.
Parsons had earlier clashed with Cr Vandervis during the meeting about a sign he had brought with him.
As he was about to speak, she objected to the sign, about city council debt, being so prominent in front of her and she called for him to move it.
Cr Vandervis responded she had chosen to sit where she sat.
Parsons conceded she was no fan of Cr Vandervis and she had wanted to unsettle him.
Afterwards, she "gently" moved the sign, but this made it tip over, she said.
Cr Vandervis has a history of his conduct being in the spotlight.
A parking-related matter shortly before the 2019 election led to a censure from the council after Cr Vandervis was found to have engaged in loud, aggressive and intimidating behaviour.
Cr Vandervis has said an investigation into his conduct was unfair.
He pursued the issue as far as the Supreme Court, but lost.
In 2020, he took issue with a procedural ruling by deputy mayor Christine Garey and it was determined after another investigation he had behaved "aggressively, discourteously and in a manner anyone would have found intimidating".
Cr Vandervis attended a National Council of Women debate last night and said ahead of it he would take his sign there, too, as New Zealand was a free country.
"I have disputes with people all the time," he said.
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