Kane resigns as impending vote on chairman divides council

Environment Canterbury (ECan) is in turmoil, with the top two jobs now up for grabs.

Fallout from the pending no-confidence vote in chairman Sir Kerry Burke has also claimed his deputy of 20 months, Cr Jo Kane.

The feisty North Canterbury councillor told The Press and councillors yesterday that she had handed in her resignation as deputy chairwoman on Tuesday. Burke said he had accepted it.

In Timaru last week, Kane voted with seven of her colleagues to pass a motion from South Canterbury's Cr Mark Oldfield for a vote of no confidence in Burke to be held at the September 24 meeting in Christchurch.

Councillors will now have to elect a new deputy at the same meeting.

In her resignation letter to Burke, Kane said there had been a communication breakdown.

"Due to the fact I have become ineffective in addressing any of the concerns I have brought to you, I believe it is in the best interest of the council that I resign from the position," she said.

"It has also become very obvious to me that I do not have your confidence. I take responsibility for my part in the breakdown between the chair and deputy chair but have found the lack of communication, clear direction and political interference untenable."

She told The Press it was not a tactic to clear the way for a run at the top council job.

She said she could do the top job if chosen, but realistically it would come down to a "political slugout" between the two main blocs Greens and Labour versus the "Tories at the table although they call themselves Citizens".

"To me, it [resigning] is the only honourable thing to do," she said. "Somebody has to take responsibility for this mess. Whatever comes out of it I'm OK with."

She would not vote for Cr Alec Neill as chairman, but she would not say who she would support.

Kane remains chairwoman of the regional land transport committee and of the air-quality portfolio committee, "and I have a constituency that will get to see quite a lot more of me".

Burke said his response to Kane was that he accepted her decision, but not the reasons advanced by her.

"Jo is a person of great talent with a great deal to contribute," he said. "I hope we can work out a way where she can maintain that high contribution."

Cr Carole Evans said Kane had done the right thing.

"If you complain about who you are supposed to be loyal to, she had a duty to hand in her resignation," Evans said.

"A deputy is a deputy. She hasn't been loyal, with her signing the document to unseat the chairman."

Evans said she would not stand for the top job. "If I was 10 years younger, the answer would be `yes', but I'm 73."

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