Cr Jim O'Malley presented a notice of motion to yesterday's full Dunedin City Council meeting, seeking to widen eligibility rules for the holder of the office of LGNZ president.
Existing LGNZ rules required the post - currently held by Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull - to be filled by a local body elected member.
That meant Mr Cull - who left the room to avoid taking part in yesterday's debate - would have to step down as LGNZ president next year, if he did not seek another term as Dunedin mayor or as a councillor.
But, under the change proposed by Cr O'Malley, any council mayor or chairman who had held elected office within the past five years would be eligible to serve as LGNZ president.
Cr O'Malley said the change - which also required LGNZ support to be adopted - reflected the fact the mayor's role was already full-time, and that nobody could hold both roles without compromise.
Attempting to do so also raised potential conflicts of interest, as the interests of an individual council, like the DCC, did not always align with those of LGNZ, as a national body representing all councils, he said.
However, other councillors were quick to criticise Cr O'Malley's move, led by Cr Aaron Hawkins.
The LGNZ role carried significant ''mana'', opening doors to government ministers and the Prime Minister, but that depended on the LGNZ president being directly elected, Cr Hawkins said.
If the post was occupied by a past mayor or councillor, it risked undermining the role and the effectiveness of LGNZ.
Cr O'Malley, in pursuing the idea anyway, either did not agree, or was ''prepared to accept a weaker organisation nationally in exchange for a pension plan for the mayors and regional council chairs''.
Alternatively, he was ''prepared to use the current president's national role as a political pinata for the disaffected and ambitious locally'', or wanted to see a more isolationist world.
''If that is the case, that is a dangerous path and a naive one,'' Cr Hawkins said.
Other councillors also spoke against the change, including Cr Christine Garey, who - as a previous LGNZ community board representative - had seen the esteem in which Mr Cull was held in Wellington.
''That does not hurt our city. That helps our city,'' she said.
Deputy mayor Chris Staynes said Mr Cull had also sought support from other senior colleagues, who would have to shoulder more responsibility in his absence, before seeking the LGNZ role, ''and we agreed to that''.
Mr Cull's dual roles gave Dunedin a ''much bigger'' profile as a result, and ''I believe, as a city, we have gained considerably'', Cr Staynes said.
Cr Benson-Pope, a former Cabinet member, also agreed and was scathing of Cr O'Malley's motives, labelling the move ''an unfortunate dog-whistle to the ignorant and ill-informed''.
''It wouldn't just be churlish of us to downgrade that [role] - it would be downright stupid.''
Cr O'Malley acknowledged he was facing defeat but defended raising it.
Councillors had been invited to suggest any potential remits, seeking rule changes for LGNZ, and he followed that process.
Councillors voted 10-2 to reject the resolution.
