MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFF
Kerry Neal has announced he is standing for mayor of Nelson, prompted by what he sees as “bad management”.
Nelson’s second mayoral candidate has put his hand up more than 30 years after he last left the council chamber as an elected member.
Kerry Neal, who is 84, served on the Nelson City Council for three terms between 1977 and 1989.
He has thrown his hat in the mayoral ring, saying he hopes to represent “the citizenry generally”.
Neal said he was unhappy with developments in local government, and hoped to draw attention to them.
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“I’m not necessarily in it to win, I’m doing this to expose the bad management of the Nelson City Council,” he said.
He said he was unhappy with “the number of people who’ve got the opinion that you can come with a begging bowl”.
“It’s got to stop. I’m not in this contest to be popular.”
He said the council should reign in spending, citing Opera in the Park as a place where costs could be reduced by platforming local talent.
Neal also supported the building of a new arterial route, but said he only supported the Southern Link if it went over the top of Victory Square, and ideally was raised for a significant portion of the way into town.
“In 1965 they were going to do just that – a missed opportunity.
“The city needs easy access for people to feel comfortable coming into town, otherwise Richmond will continue to explode and the city will continue to shrink.”
He said residential zones should keep their current format, but apartment-style living should be encouraged in the centre-city.
“I would just put it out there that this is the new approach, you’ll be encouraged to look at that type of development.”
BRADEN FASTIER/Stuff
Neal said there should be more high-rise residential options in the centre of Nelson.
He said changes to the Local Government Act in 1989 had set things in motion which had led to a situation where elected members were more at the mercy of council staff. While there was important institutional knowledge there that should be celebrated, councillors needed to be more involved.
“Many elected representatives are not aware of why people are upset and aren’t getting any results,” he said.
“The next council must urge the next Government, whatever it is, to address those issues.”
He also said the council’s Code of Conduct had “all but stifled healthy debate” in the chambers.
“You’re not going to get people to be enthusiastic about putting their names on the ballot when these sorts of factors are making it almost impossible for an elected representative to progress on an issue that the mayor or chair is driving.
“When we were there, no one got put-down. We slugged it out, we even climbed over the table and threatened to bang people on the nose, and we worked it out.”
Neal is the second to officially announce his mayoral candidacy, after current councillor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens. Incumbent mayor Rachel Reese has announced she will not run again, guaranteeing a new leader for the city come election day on October 8.
