Auckland Council Mayoral candidates – Mark Thomas

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 24th, 2015 - 21 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, local body elections, phil goff, Politics - Tags: , , , ,

The first candidate has announced that he is seeking the super city Mayoralty. It is right winger Mark Thomas.

He is well known as National’s candidate in Wellington Central in 1996 who could have won the seat but was undermined by Jim Bolger’s endorsement of Richard Prebble. The sad history is documented in the film Campaign.

He has served as a Parliamentary Staffer for the National Party and was Melissa Lee’s campaign manager for the 2009 Mount Albert by election when her infamous line about how the new motorway would stop South Aucklanders burgling Mount Albert homes or something sunk her credibility and all prospects of a National win.

He is currently on the Orakei Local Board.

He has a swanky campaign video where he makes all sorts of vague promises to improve things:

He also has an adequate website with vague discussion about transport and housing although one thing to note is that he appears to want to cancel the inner city rail link.

His early announcement could be problematic for National. Having two right wing candidates will split their support although he is barely known and is unlikely to gain many votes. He may be hoping that Maurice Williamson decides not to contest and that no one else puts their hand up.

He claims to have been encouraged by a number of councillors. The only support I could find for him was a tweet by Linda Cooper.

Meanwhile the Herald has reported that Phil Goff has all but confirmed that he will seek the mayoralty. Len Brown’s office said he was too busy to comment on if he is going to stand again.

21 comments on “Auckland Council Mayoral candidates – Mark Thomas ”

  • Comments are now closed

    • greywarshark 1.1
      24 September 2015 at 1:58 pm

      Ooh good. Where to?

      • Tracey 1.1.1
        25 September 2015 at 4:39 pm

        lolololol

        goff has become the invisible man since becoming shadow minister for auckland and most notably silent for weeks. soooooo he MUST be running for mayor… having a bob each way on the taxpayer for now

  2. Detrie 2
    24 September 2015 at 11:32 am

    There’s seems to be a flood of Neoliberal right wing candidates emerging in local elections now, this another young lad with a big ego. All about me, me, me. Just more fine words and big ideas around rates, roads, housing, efficiency etc. Hard to know what ex-labour man Phil Goff will do. He was more right, than left wing when in power. Still, he and Mark look like a ‘nice men’ which seems to be the main criteria for voters. The same was said about the current major, previous mayor and even the PM. Perception is everything in politics.

  3. Ad 3
    24 September 2015 at 12:12 pm

    If anyone’s had to deal with the Orakei Local Board, they will know that it is a highly entitled, sneering, deeply divided, grossly partisan, and thoroughly destructive group of people.

    Mark Thomas is at the centre of it all.

    • Steve Withers 3.1
      24 September 2015 at 1:40 pm

      Cameron Brewer was acclaimed in Orakei last local body elections. Absolutely no one at all ran against him.

      Can’t let that happen again…even if I have to run myself just to give people who don’t want him a chance to register that fact.

      As for Mark Thomas: Thank you, Mark……. Next!

      • tc 3.1.1
        24 September 2015 at 3:17 pm

        Watch out for Cammy the Brewer a Banksy clone with ratlike cunning. .

        The neo-liberal force is strong within him and he’s always there sniping away as a rent a quote the msm can turn to when they want to portray the nact’s supershity as being Len’s fault.

    • Tracey 3.2
      25 September 2015 at 4:45 pm

      orakei? alex swney was over that way for ACT

  4. Visubversa 4
    24 September 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Linda Cooper is another Tory who stood for Council as a supposed “Independent” and then showed her true colours.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    24 September 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Thomas has “silver medalist” sprayed all over him

    early days yet–are Banksie, Pallino perma-tan, and Maurie definitely out? any number of other snouts will be keen, is Len definitely out?

    Phil Goff has good name recognition and could win well but like Len be subject to prompt capture by the bureaucrats, CCOs and business lobbies

    be great to have another “Minto for Mayor” style candidate/board ticket pushing a “Living Wage city”, free public transport etc a left candidate making uncompromising noises like Corbyn could be just what is needed to up the turnout

    • save NZ 5.1
      25 September 2015 at 8:18 am

      Yep if only a real ‘lefty’ would step in. Or even centre lefty dear I say Cunliffe? If they did not run a dirty politics campaign against him.

      The voters spoke last time, and asked for a ‘left’ major – I don’t think anyone anticipated what a let down Len would be.

      Phil Goff is right of centre so pretty dangerous guy to put in there. Why oh why don’t they run a ‘left’ Labour candidate who is popular? (Although it might be the popularity that is lacking in Labour across the bench, including Goff).

  6. Mrs Brillo 6
    24 September 2015 at 4:20 pm

    That would be the Bill Ralston who sits in expensive hashhouses with his BFF Cathy Odgers shouting at the passersby “We are the 1 percent!”

    As described by himself, in his Listener column.

    Was he ever, by chance, a member of the Bullingdon Club?

  7. Keith 7
    24 September 2015 at 5:02 pm

    Another Nat clone to be sent from the mothership pretending to be a human. There will be more. Even more frightening is the thought of Theresa Gattung!

  8. Rudi Can't Fail 8
    24 September 2015 at 5:22 pm

    Reading these comments I see DP is alive and well on the left.

    • tc 8.1
      24 September 2015 at 6:36 pm

      Except without the taxpayer resources, multiple outlets and shills across TV, radio, print and of course the free pass given by the police when one gets caught like eade and slater boy just received.

      All that and of course the very deep pockets of the hollow men and backers of nact.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.2
      24 September 2015 at 6:54 pm

      Do you? That’s fascinating. Would you consider a detailed brain scan to help further our knowledge of fuckwitology?

  9. One Two 9
    24 September 2015 at 5:44 pm

    Mark Botox Thomas

  10. Stephanie 10
    24 September 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Cameron Brewer’s endorsement of Thomas is certainly a thing.
    https://twitter.com/michaelwoodnz/status/646890779747598336

    • dukeofurl 10.1
      25 September 2015 at 11:06 am

      Doesnt make any sense he would run for Mayor

      Then again it would make sense if he was angling for the CR nomination for a councillor from Eastern Bays.
      reading Brewers endorsement, you can see that whats his name will be dropping his bid when required by his overlords

  11. Penny Bright 11
    25 September 2015 at 8:54 am

    Actually. both myself Penny Bright) and Stephen Berry (Affordable Auckland) announced that we are both standing as 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidates months ago.

    In the 2013 Auckland Mayoral campaign – I polled 4th and Stephen Berry polled 3rd.

    Penny Bright

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

  12. Capn Insano 12
    25 September 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Vague promises, like Trump and his great plan?

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