Andrew Williams, mayor of North Shore, is clearly a bit of an odd-ball. Getting drunk and having a wee on his council building is the kind of behaviour that voters on the North Shore may well view dimly.
But it is totally beyond his power and right for Local Government Minister Rodney Hide to call for Williams to resign over it.
The Minister of Local Government is not some judge of the worthiness of elected local government officials to remain in their jobs. His job is just to administer central government’s local government legislation and act as a liaison between central and local government.
It’s outrageous, frankly, to see Hide once again over-stepping the constitutional limitations on his office. And it is clear his call for Williams’ resignation is politically motivated because Williams has been such a strong opponent of Hide’s undemocratic Supercity. I don’t see him calling for Michael Laws to step down despite his bizarre behaviour – in his private life, in his role as mayor, and in his media appearances.
If the people of North Shore want Williams to resign, they can pressure him to do or so or, at worst, not elect him to any super-council role he stands for. Maybe the people of North Shore simply feel that a bit of public urination is a small price to pay for having a good mayor. I don’t know or care. It is the business of the people of North Shore and no-one else’s.
Hide should butt out, try to do his own job well for once, and stop trying to interfere in the democratic process.
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