Final results released yesterday show 89 votes separated Dunedin City Council by-election winner Jo Galer and runner-up Mr Hawkins.
Mr Hawkins offered some reflections on the ‘‘agonisingly close’’ result in a Facebook post yesterday.
‘‘The kind of close that makes it impossible to blame anyone else but yourself,’’ he said.
‘‘Was [city councillor Russell Lund] and Jo’s ugly smear campaign worth more than 90 votes? We’ll never know.’’
During the campaign, Mr Hawkins contested a statement Ms Galer and Mr Lund made about him in an advertisement concerning South Dunedin.
The advertisement claimed $35 million in funding for stormwater upgrades in the area ‘‘disappeared’’ when he was mayor in 2021.
‘‘Despite all the rhetoric from Mr Hawkins, his failure to face up to the council’s responsibilities means South Dunedin remains exposed to serious flooding,’’ Ms Galer later told the Otago Daily Times.
Mr Hawkins said the advertisement was incorrect and the council had significantly increased the amount budgeted for water infrastructure and accelerated some work.
At the time, he told the ODT he thought the advertisement was ‘‘pretty desperate and dirty politics’’.
The council also disputed the suggestion funding had disappeared.
‘‘I think it’s more about being honest with the public about what has happened and where we are now.
‘‘If he sees that as a smear campaign, well, that’s his prerogative, but that’s not what was intended by it.’’
Cr Lund said he ‘‘rejected entirely’’ Mr Hawkins’ comments.
‘‘Jo’s campaign dealt in facts,’’ Cr Lund said.
‘‘He had a small army of people helping him, and he still lost.’’
Asked if he wanted to expand on or clarify his comments, Mr Hawkins said they were ‘‘fairly self-explanatory’’.
A by-election was required to replace Cr Jules Radich, who died in January.
Fourteen candidates stood for the position.
Progress results released after polls closed on Tuesday had Ms Galer 746 votes clear of Mr Hawkins, while preliminary results on Wednesday showed the gap had closed to 250.
Ms Galer said it had been a ‘‘nail-biting’’ few days but she was rapt with the final result.
She will be sworn in at a council meeting Monday, when a code of conduct complaint against Cr Benedict Ong and appointments to the grants subcommittee will be considered behind closed doors.
‘‘I’ve been following every single issue that it’s been tracking through since the triennium started, so I feel confident about my ability to make decisions that represent ratepayers,’’ Ms Galer said.
The total voter turnout was 33.31% (31,629 votes, including specials).
