Allegations of a premeditated strike against Cr Lee Vandervis are flying as some councillors turn on their colleagues following a blocked debate at this week's Dunedin City Council meeting.
But councillors who backed the move at Tuesday's meeting have hit back, accusing their critics of spreading falsehoods.
The bust-up came a day after Cr David Benson-Pope moved to rescind the council's earlier support for investigating a merger of the DCC and Otago Regional Council.
The investigation, first promoted by Cr Vandervis, was backed by councillors in 2017, but had not progressed since then.
Cr Vandervis had been expected to argue against Cr Benson-Pope's move, and question council staff, at this week's meeting, but a procedural motion by Cr Kate Wilson forced an immediate vote and blocked any debate.
Yesterday, Crs Jim O'Malley, Aaron Hawkins, Andrew Whiley and Rachel Elder - who voted with Cr Vandervis against Cr Wilson's move - all criticised the stifling of public debate.
Cr Hawkins said Cr Wilson's move was ''a fairly cynical use of standing orders'', while Cr Elder said good council decision-making required ''robust debate''.
Crs O'Malley and Whiley went further, suggesting Cr Wilson's move was premeditated.
''I believe it was highly orchestrated,'' Cr O'Malley said.
As evidence, they both pointed to Cr Christine Garey already having her book of council standing orders out, and open, before Cr Wilson made her move.
The contents of emails between Cr Vandervis and council chief executive Sue Bidrose - described by Cr Wilson as containing ''vitriol'' - were also nothing new for the outspoken councillor, Cr O'Malley said.
Cr Wilson had also used a standing order intended to put an end to a prolonged debate ''to stop any debate''.
''It was used in the wrong way.''
He also questioned Cr Benson-Pope's role, saying ''the king of using standing orders as a weapon'' may have acted for council staff to squash any unitary council report.
''They don't have the right to make that call.''
Cr Benson-Pope did not return calls yesterday, but, in a text, said he had ''said what I wanted to say at the meeting''.
Crs Wilson and Garey strenuously denied any co-ordination, both saying they had neither discussed the matter with each other, nor with anyone else, ahead of the meeting.
Cr Garey said she ''always'' had her standing orders book at meetings, and had opened it - to a section on points of order - in expectation of ''issues'' during the debate.
Anyone suggesting otherwise was ''calling Kate a liar'', Cr Garey said.
''It really hacks me off, actually.''
Both councillors defended their stance against Cr Vandervis, Cr Wilson saying while the tone of his emails might not be new, it was still a problem ''and I'm sick of it''.
''We shouldn't have to tolerate that, but that's part of the problem - it has become the norm.''
Cr Garey said there would be a time to debate a unitary council, but not now, and her stance was ''not about not agreeing'' with Cr Vandervis.
''It's about bad behaviour. It's the attitude to the staff that I find deplorable.''
Deputy mayor Chris Staynes, who also voted to block debate, was also not aware of any plan, but most councillors were ''sick of seeing our staff, who do a bloody good job, being subjected to [abuse]''.
''Maybe we should have done this a hell of a lot earlier.''
Cr Vandervis did not respond to requests for comment again yesterday, but emails between him, Dr Bidrose and Mayor Dave Cull were released to the Otago Daily Times.
In one, on March 1, Cr Vandervis asked Dr Bidrose to ''please confirm the proposed date that councillors will see'' the unitary council report.
When no response was received by March 21, Cr Vandervis emailed again, suggesting his inquiries were being ''routinely stonewalled'' and pressing Dr Bidrose to say how many months had passed since councillors voted for the report.
Dr Bidrose replied, denying stonewalling but explaining ''staff resourcing'' - and the need to build a relationship with the ORC - were behind the delays, as already explained to councillors.
Cr Vandervis, in an email to Mr Cull, then accused Dr Bidrose of ''failing to execute her responsibility to get this report in front of council in a timely manner'' - a claim Mr Cull rejected, saying it was part of her job to prioritise workloads.
Dr Bidrose also emailed back, saying the suggestion she was not answering questions quickly enough - when staff were stretched organising Dunedin's public vigil for victims of the Christchurch shooting - was ''bordering on harassment''.
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Comments
Clinical political brilliance by The Kate. Stunned mullet cavil follows.
Staff harassers should realise there's more to deal with than monomaniacal single issues.
You know, I've got no idea who or what is good or bad about our council other than the fact it seems to have been an issue for quite a while. Of the parts of the messages from Mr Vandervis that have been highlighted none seem particularly vitriolic, but without wider context it is hard to judge.
The next time the council sends me correspondence and requires a reply I'm going to not bother replying. If they send me more correspondence 3 weeks later asking why I haven't replied then I will accuse the of bordering on harassment. After all, if it's good for Bidrose to claim this then it's fine for the rest of us to claim the same.
How hard would it be to provide a simple reply that the email has been received but will be actioned at a later date? Waiting three weeks for a follow-up is more than reasonable from Cr Vandervis.
The old boys network is alive and well in both councils , bribery and corruption seem to be the order of the day ! The ORC has a lot of fancy bull***t in their annual plan but are totally useless and inept at abiding by said annual plan. In saying that we have some really good genuine folk in both councils that do try but unfortunately are outnumbered by the aforementioned old boys network , we need change get out and vote at the next elections .( and bring your friends )
With an election coming up I know who I wont be voting for and it certainly wont be for persons who use politics to their own ends ie stifle debate because ''I'm sick of it''
I can tell readers that the staff organising the vigil for victims of the Chch shooting are not the same staff who handle the strategic policy issues like the (non) investigation into pros and cons of a unitary authority. For Ms Bidrose to use the vigil as an excuse is flimsy at best.