Why are you standing?
[Mr Lequeux hands over a cartoon of a woman knitting, with the words ''You will be warm this winter'' in a speech bubble coming from her mouth.]
What's going to make you a good leader, what are your strengths?
I am an ideas man.
And what are some of your ideas?
I have started a dozen and a-half businesses. My ideas revolve around the people, a lot of people leave town. School-leavers can be taken into the future, we need to look after them. I think we can bring everyone together.
To do what?
The population of Dunedin is the same as it was in 1890, about 85,000, but no-one knows about it. We have fantastic people here, we can bring industries, we can look out for the future instead of being passive.
I have this silly idea of having boxes with trees from George St/London St to Princes St/Maitland St, and they could be moved instead of having silly signs. So they would have a nice bushy tree in front of Whitcoulls, for example, making a city where people are more welcome.
I would have one day a week, say a Monday, when retailers are fighting for trade, as a fine-free, park-free day. Help property owners with a few properties to insulate them, so eventually it will appeal to the large stakeholders to improve their game, to compete. I have many, many ideas.
Have you got some specific ideas about how to improve Dunedin's economy?
I am the only one with ideas. Aquaculture, using the sea as a means to get employment. Iceland and other countries use fishing in terms of producing all sorts of by-products, not only the catch.
That's No 1. No 2, we could use our university for bio-materials. I just read somewhere about that. Brazil was into stem cells. We could have serum.
We could help and industry create those materials that the rest of the world needs. Those are two examples. I have ideas about school-leavers.
Instead of having procurement where you look after the local companies, you could look at people and say if you are going to work for the local community, we could have them getting apprenticeships, plumbers, electricians etc. We want these kids, aged 15-17, to know that Dunedin welcomes them.
What are the major issues facing the city?
[Quotes Christine Johnston:] ''Dunedin a wealthy little city where the rich inhabit the hills and look out to the sea and the poor inhabit the flat and look at each other.''
That was written about 100 years ago. It is still the same situation. We are OK. We are fine, but unfortunately things are changing. Mind you, no-one wants to do too much, because not much has changed here for 70 or 80 years.
I think we have to look to the future. The university's future is in abeyance. It is just like the icing on the cake, it is not going to save us. And that is what this city seems to be focused on. We think the students are saving us and everything is fine, but things are going to change.
What is your vision for Dunedin?
My vision of the city is a bit like the Florida of the Pacific. We are going to have to attract people because of quality of life.
How will you attract these people?
They will find out. People are coming back to Dunedin in their 30s to breed, because they obviously appreciate the lifestyle. Remember Dunedin is [whispers] the wildlife capital of New Zealand.
But we have to have a threshold. More is not always better. We need the right people here. It is a tricky balance. I don't have a crystal ball. There is an amazing example.
I just met a man called Pat who runs a company designing rooftop plastic gear for Thule from Dunedin. Why is he here? That is exactly the question.
He is from here originally. He has travelled and he has come back. Dunedin's attraction is its people and we've got a huge history. We have to sell our history and people come back and we can get even more like me.
Why will you be a better mayor than the other candidates?
Deep down I am a socialist. I am a Trotskyist. It is not about me. I am irrelevant per se. My take would be to make everyone welcome and have their say, whether it's for cycling, mining or the arts.
I would rely on other people's expertise and have a beneficial discussion about everything. I repeat, it is not about me.
How would you make anything happen then?
I know it sounds terrible, it sounds ideal, like Utopia. I believe in Utopia, but I know it is hard to come by, but at least we have to try. For example, meetings.
The DCC meets, like, in an office on whatever floor. I would not want that. I would be the first mayor where we would not have meetings. Not so much without meetings per se, we can meet over Skype.
We can reconstruct Dunedin and involve people. In general, if we are going to be like everywhere else in the world we have no chance. As I said, the population is the same as 80 years ago. What are we going to do? Something bad is going to happen.
How many council meetings have you attended?
I am lucky enough I have not attended any council meeting and I have been here for 17 years. I am standing for that particular reason that a lot of people talk and do not say anything. I don't think the meetings are relevant.
The council is like a company. It has employees, and like any company you get together once a week, you have the editor, the chief executive, people talk together and share ideas. We don't have to be there physically.
How would you describe your politics?
What being a Trotskyist means to me is that it's a permanent revolution. In so much is that whatever is, is not. You know life, you are 40 years old one day, you get grey hair, you get fatter, your children die.
Trotskyism is that you are on the edge and you want to share your model with the rest. I want Dunedin to [whispers dramatically] shine. I want it to be the model for our future development.
Do you think Dunedin is ready for that kind of thinking?
We'll soon find out.
How much are you spending on your campaign?
I have spent $3.
I'm presuming that is your own money?
[laughs]
Who will vote for you?
I've run twice and each time I've had 2000 to 3000 vote for me. That means people think I represent a different opportunity and a challenge to the establishment.
Hopefully, that works. Hopefully, I get more. At the end of the day, whether I win or not is irrelevant. I have a few ideas. If I can make people think, that is all I am about. I am only interested in being a part of the council if I am part of general renewal movement, otherwise don't vote for me.
What about your bankruptcy and drinking issues?
It doesn't affect my campaign. Just for your record, Olivier Lequeux is bankrupt over $5797.07. I think it is a great thing that people keep bringing it up, because it has shown me that I have to look at my life in a different perspective.
Which is the same as Dunedin. We have a massive debt, which means if someone comes along and says you have to pay us, we are effectively bankrupt as a city. Dunedin has got huge, huge problems. The only source of my income is my hard work.
The Dunedin City ''Circus'' has the amazing ability to tax every single one of us. They can spend $10,000 on a bike rack or whatever money and you have to pay for it. Being bankrupt has been an amazing eye-opener for me. The drinking is ... I am not trying to hide anything.
Do you really want to be the mayor? Are you running seriously?
I'd love to be the mayor. I'm a cheerleader. I'm a leader. I've studied lots of places. But is Dunedin ready for a French mayor? [shrugs]
Olivier Lequeux
Age: 46.
Marital/family status: Not married. Proud father of three fantastic children.
Occupation: Lion tamer.
Council experience: None. Ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2007 and 2010.
Running for: Mayor.
