With the mayoral race officially started, incumbent Jules Radich issued a press release on Friday listing his accomplishments, particularly when it came to the campaign for the new Dunedin hospital project.
It comes at a time when the project is going ahead, but only after being beset with delays from consecutive governments.
"When the integrity of our new hospital was threatened, I didn’t hesitate to push back," Mr Radich’s statement said.
Some councillors felt this statement ran entirely contrary to historical reality.
Mr Radich told the Otago Daily Times the success of his strategy was proven in the fact the city was going to get a new, future-proofed hospital.
Retiring city councillor David Benson-Pope said: "We had to drag the mayor kicking and screaming to do anything.
"You will recall that the hospital campaign began with my motion, not any action from the mayor."
Cr Benson-Pope brought the notice of motion resulting in the council’s unanimous approval of a $130,400 campaign fund in January 2023.
Cr Steve Walker said the integrity of the new hospital was "still threatened, so the current silent ‘push back’ from the mayor is deafening".
Cr Sophie Barker said in 2022 when the cutbacks were announced "Mayor Radich was quoted as saying it was an early Christmas present and I am on record as saying it was a bag of coals".
Cr Bill Acklin said "no-one worked harder" than Mr Radich for the hospital campaign.
Cr Andrew Whiley said the hospital campaign was a united council approach "where all councillors and the mayor played their part".
Cr Lee Vandervis said Mr Radich did a good job of pushing for a better hospital outcome at a public march and in private communication with relevant ministers.
Cr Kevin Gilbert said everyone was bound to have different recollections of their involvement.
"Yes, as the city’s mayor, Jules was the face and at the front of everything.
"However he was backed by a united council and, more importantly, 35,000 people from around Dunedin and the region on the march."
Mr Radich said some councillors appeared to misunderstand his hospital campaign methods.
"The work that I did wasn’t about shouting out loud in public, other than the march."
He said he talked respectfully and seriously to the politicians of successive governments.
The council campaign featured a big public march for the new hospital in September last year, after the government announced it was considering drastically reducing the planned new inpatients’ building or dumping it in favour of a retrofit of the existing Dunedin Hospital.
In January, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the government would go ahead with the inpatients’ building at the former Cadbury’s site. But there has been concern in the community about levels of service to be provided when it opens.
The main contract with CPB is expected to be signed soon.
