Mayor to endorse candidate or two in by-election campaign
“I would be looking for a more diverse field that we currently might have. Getting to certain parts of our community that are not represented at the moment."
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Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark plans to take the unique approach of endorsing a candidate or two during the by-election campaign.
Fourteen candidates will contest the by-election to fill the vacant seat left by Nigel Skelt after he resigned from the role.
Voting will run from July 13 to August 4.
Clark has confirmed his intentions to endorse one or two candidates who he felt would be a good fit for the council.
He’s yet to publicly confirm who they will be.
“I’ve got to check with them if they want me to do that. Some may say it’s the kiss of death, some may say it’s good,” Clark said.
“I would be looking for a more diverse field than we currently might have. Getting to certain parts of our community that are not represented at the moment. I think that would be a healthy thing.”
Andrea Murrell was initially announced as part of Clark’s Let’s Go Invercargill ticket at the October election.
She did not end up contesting that election but has now been confirmed as a candidate for the looming by-election.
At the last Invercargill by-election in 2021, 36.58% of eligible voters actually voted. That equated to 14,700 votes.
By-elections tend to be harder to drum up voter interest.
Marcus Lush won that 2021 by-election with 7371 votes, more than half of the votes cast.
The 14 candidates standing in this by-election are:
Steve Broad, Asha Dutt, Sebastien Fabre, Carl Heenan, David Hicks, Terry King, Graham Lewis, Rob Te Maiharoa, David Meades, Tom Morton, Andrea Murrell, David Pottinger, Ian Reeves, Lisa Tou-McNaughton.