Councils
Today I am confirming that I will be standing for Mayor at the October 2022 local government elections.
Having previously been Deputy Mayor for two of the last three years, I have the institutional leadership knowledge and skills to lead the city for the next 3 years. I’ve also shown that I am an energetic, new ideas person who is not afraid to confront conventional ways of doing business. I also have a strong set of financial skills from my past experience in the govt sector.
I have previously declared that I was not standing again, in part due to the frustrations around getting key issues undertaken.
However, many ratepayers have asked me to reconsider which is what I have now done.
I bring decisive decision making and a ‘can do’ attitude to Council. I am not interested in 10 reasons why we can’t do things that the community constantly advise us are the important matters, I just want 1 good reason to get it done.
Those matters include the closed museum, the safeguarding of Southland DisAbility Enterprise workers within our Recycling contract, the increased beautification of our city beyond the current upgrade, an affordability of rate increases and promoting Bluff (and the City) as the gateway to Stewart Island.
The get these matters done, we need a new approach to governance that needs to be far more effective.
We have a number of Councilor’s not standing at the next election, so this provides an opportunity for results orientated people to come forward.
The next 3 years are imperative, as I am forecasting that the current govt review of the Future of Local Government will result in the amalgamation of at least 3 of the 4 Southland Councils, so the time for Invercargill to position our city, as the ‘must visit’ provincial city in NZ is now.
Editors note: Nobby joins other candidates who have said they’re standing for Mayor included recycled Gary Tong from Southland District Mayor, longterm Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt, councillors Ian Pottinger, Rebecca Amundsen and new comer Noel Peterson from Bluff.