The issues are quite simple

OPINION: On the face of it the issues facing the council this week are quite simple, writes Tim Shadbolt this week.

The chief executive was drinking wine with staff and a councillor from 3pm to 6.30pm and then drove his car headlong into oncoming traffic outside Burger King.

The council was deeply divided over its response.

The "eagles," led by myself, called for severe disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal of the chief executive, and the "pigeons," led by the deputy mayor, simply wanted him to receive a written warning.

It was put to the vote and the "pigeons" won by a single vote. Nonetheless a decision had been made and in normal circumstances that should have ended the matter.

But the council meeting called to debate the fate of Richard King was no ordinary meeting.

It was the most passionate and emotionally charged council meeting I've ever presided over in my life. Councillors bared their souls and spoke from the heart.

Although we were deeply divided, there was one issue over which we were absolutely united. The staff should not be informed. I was even forbidden from speaking to the council's human resources officer on the basis that staff should not be involved.

We all agreed unanimously and without question that there would be absolute confidentiality on the matter.

Within hours of the meeting finishing, senior staff were fully informed of everything that took place and which way the individual councillors had voted. It was both sickening and depressing.

From that point on it was all downhill. We no longer trusted each other. Betrayal and suspicion seemed to cloud every issue and, as more information emerged about our chief executive's contract, I lost confidence in my deputy mayor.

It may seem a petty issue to be fighting over but the chief executive's contract is probably the most important document a mayor may get to sign during their term in office. It happens only once every five years, two years longer than a term in office for any councillor.

As well as being being the most influential person at the council, the chief executive is the only member of staff the council hires, and the chief executive in turn hires and fires all the other staff at the council, giving that person considerable power over the staff.

Not only did Neil sign this contract as mayor of the city, but he failed to follow protocol and pass on a copy of it to me. He signed this critical contract because "I was not in the city". This was not true.

Lastly, this employment contract contradicts the council's code of conduct and is in desperate need of a review yet he still refuses to take responsibility for it and have this flawed contract amended.

The reason Neil has been so public with his refusal to step down, and has shown his disloyalty by doing so, is that he has created a faction of councillors, all of whom have lucrative, powerful portfolios that I believe they will vote to keep, at the expense of allowing other duly elected, capable councillors to represent fully the very people who elected them.

The situation we're facing in Invercargill is unique. Neil Boniface is the only deputy mayor in New Zealand who, through the accumulation of directorships, and his position as EIL chairman, earns more than the mayor of the city. He also has the support of The Southland Times.

In such a situation it is obviously impossible for me to win, in the short term, and public exposure of internal council divisions does not look good for the city.

There are, however, some positive outcomes that have resulted from this mayor/deputy mayor split. The power of the internet has become a major player in local government. Never before has such intense debate and scrutiny of council affairs taken place in cyberspace. The internet can say what it likes without legal liabilities. But I've been impressed by how accurate many of the observations have been. A decade ago we were totally reliant on The Southland Times to publish unbiased information on council affairs. Now it seems a new player has emerged on the scene.

Another positive is that the split has forced councillors into a period of self-analysis. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What are the dynamics that are driving this council? How can we resolve the problems we are facing?

Neil and I have both had our say and on Monday it will be the turn of the councillors. I hope they will rise above personal interests and the debate will be about what's best for the city.

The other positive that has emerged has been the reaction of two of my fellow mayors, Lawrence Yule of Local Government New Zealand and Tracy Hicks of Gore. While most other organisations congratulated me on the split because it got The Southland Times off their backs for a while, these two mayors offered to mediate and help. Regardless of what happens, I would like to thank them for their timely and generous offers.

I would also like to thank the public for their encouragement and support throughout this difficult time. I couldn't have survived without it.

» Tim Shadbolt is the mayor of Invercargill
•Mr Shadbolt's column is an opinion piece. However, in the interests of accuracy it should be pointed out that (a) The Southland Times is not taking sides in this dispute between him and his deputy, and (b) the councillors chairing council committees and acting as directors on council-owned companies whom the mayor now describes as pigeons were appointed to their roles on his personal recommendation.

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