Rotorua mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau. Photo / Laura Smith
Rotorua mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau. Photo / Laura Smith
Rotorua mayoral hopeful Fletcher Tabuteau has told a mayoral candidate meeting that if elected he would replace the council's chief executive.
But the council says the council appoints the mayor through a formal recruitment process and the chief executive's contract does not expire until June 30, 2025.
Tabuteau made his comment at Thursday night's Rotorua Business Chamber's Mayoral Open Forum, which about 300 people attended.
Candidates Tabuteau, Reynold Macpherson, Ben Sandford, Tania Tapsell, Kalaadevi Ananda, Rania Sears and Raj Kumar outlined why they were running for mayor and what they offered, before being asked questions from the audience.
Topics included council restructuring, relationship-building and pulling the controversial reserves revocation bill.
An audience member asked candidates what their top priority would be during the first 90 days in the job.
Tabuteau responded: "The one executive decision the mayor gets to make, and I will make, and I hate saying this in public, is that I will replace the CEO of the council. We need a new CEO."
He did not explain at the meeting why. Murmurs could be heard from the otherwise quiet audience when Tabuteau gave his answer.
Tabuteau told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend after the meeting that his comment was about a commitment to review the council structure which included the chief executive position and the seven deputy roles.
The seven deputy chief executive roles were introduced in March last year as part of an organisational realignment.
Tabuteau said, in his view, the current leadership structure was "untenable".
"After long years of service, it is only reasonable, along with the seven deputy CEs, the CE's position be reviewed as well."
The review was needed because, as he understood it, the council structure and the leadership configuration led to silos and different departments competing for resources.
Tabuteau also said in his response at the meeting he would need to build a team with the elected councillors.
Rotorua's mayoral candidates at the Rotorua Business Chamber Meet the Candidates event on Thursday. Photo / Laura Smith
The Rotorua Daily Post Weekend approached the Rotorua Lakes Council and chief executive Geoff Williams for comment.
The council stated it was inappropriate to comment on political statements and Williams also considered it inappropriate to comment.
It was, however, explained how the chief executive was appointed.
"The chief executive was appointed by the council, not solely by the mayor, and this is done via a formal recruitment process."
Williams was appointed in 2013 by the Kevin Winters-led council. His contract was extended by two years in 2017 and he was reappointed to the role in March 2020 following a formal external recruitment process.
The Local Government Act did not allow for a further extension of the term of the employment agreement.
The external recruitment process, facilitated by an experienced independent HR consultant, attracted 14 applicants with three shortlisted and Williams subsequently reappointed.
His contract expires June 30, 2025.
In his answer on the first 90 days during the meeting, Macpherson said, having been on council the past three years, he would continue with a nine-year case study on council operations.
Rotorua mayoral candidate Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Laura Smith
His answer was to start with vision-building with those elected to the council.
"You've got to build on what they understand their tasks are. That vision then sets the terms for review of restructure, priorities and budgeting and the things that follow."
He asked the audience to remember the mayor had "a lot of power" in defining the structures of policymaking and policy implementation.
"I would use that ... to restructure, to rethink the way policies are being made."
Kumar said the first hurdle was fighting his campaign. "I have not had a hard look at what I will be doing in the first 90 days but I have a fair idea."
Rotorua mayoral candidate Raj Kumar. Photo / Laura Smith
He said one big question was what was going to happen with the seven deputy chief executive roles.
Sears said 90 days would not "cut it" but she would use them to "review everything". This included policies, and in particular, the budget.
Rotorua mayoral candidate Rania Sears. Photo / Laura Smith
"I want to be able to go in there and immediately start seeing where we can cut back."
Ananda's said she would look into finances and restructure. This would be done by a third party. "Then the next most important thing is helping and restoring the reputation of Rotorua."
The third thing to be addressed was crime and safety, she said.
Rotorua mayoral candidate Kalaadevi Ananda. Photo / Laura Smith
"We will not allow any more violence and crime ... we will make that strong statement, have more police, and also more social services."
Tapsell said she would meet with the new councillors and ask what their priorities were.
"What professional development do they need? Councillors don't normally receive that."
Rotorua mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell. Photo / Laura Smith
She said if they did not know already, councillors would learn how to read a financial statement, what the local government act was, what their job was and how to get it done.
"From there my top priority would be pulling that bill of the reserves, actually withdrawing it."
She would also have a "strong stance" against the Three Waters reform as well as finish off council projects such as opening up the Sir Howard Morrison Centre and finding a solution for the museum.
She finished by saying she would look at an organisational review and "stopping the spend".
Rotorua mayoral candidate Ben Sandford. Photo / Laura Smith
Sandford began his answer by saying the mayor was only one person on the council.
"We are all going to be a new council ... it's about building relationships with other councillors and building a team that can advocate strongly for Rotorua."
