Businessman and Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairman Andrew Simms said choosing a mayor from inside the Dunedin City Council and voting in essentially the existing council was an unlikely recipe for producing genuine change.
Voters had a clear choice this election, Mr Simms said.
"They can rearrange the existing chairs at the council table and hope for a better result, or they can vote in a new mayor and a whole lot of new councillors, and in the belief that those people bring fresh ideas and new perspectives to the table — and that that will get them a different result."
Mr Simms is leading a team ticket called Future Dunedin, and his messaging has sometimes struck a nerve at the council.
His comments came after city councillors Andrew Whiley and Kevin Gilbert switched from backing Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich to supporting two-term councillor Sophie Barker in this year’s mayoral race, highlighting her experience and skill set.
A series of councillors pointed to the value of mayors having council experience.
Mr Radich had one term on the council before he became mayor in 2022, and Mr Simms has not had a stint as a councillor.
Other candidates in the mayoralty field include experienced city councillor Lee Vandervis, one-term councillor Mandy Mayhem and Green Party nominee Mickey Treadwell.
Mr Simms said councillors "attempting to distance themselves from the performance of the current council" was surprising.
"They seek to blame the mayor’s lack of leadership for the dysfunction seen throughout this term at council," he said.
"They now want the electorate to accept that it will all come right if Mayor Radich is replaced by the leadership of Cr Barker."
Cr Barker said she felt a mayor needed to have at least a term of council experience.
"The sheer volume of information and knowledge necessary to understand the council and its roles in delivering services is challenging," she said.
A mayor required a "balanced portfolio" of skills, including leadership, community connections and financial understanding, she said.
"If you want to achieve anything as mayor, you need to have a clear vision and ability to build relationships with other councillors, whatever their viewpoints.
"Most importantly, they need the trust of the community they represent."
Mr Radich said understanding council protocols and meeting procedures was vital for a mayor, and this could only be gained by serving a term or two as a councillor.
Cr Steve Walker said Mr Radich, after nearly three years as mayor, "still has a very poor understanding of council protocol and meeting procedure".
A mayor should develop and successfully share a vision or master plan for the city, he said.
"Among other traits I look for in a leader are approachability, being well prepared and of course they need to be critical thinkers."
Cr Christine Garey said "parachuting" into the mayoral role without the right mix of skills or experience rarely worked.
A mayor must have integrity, be an eloquent public speaker, understand the city’s challenges and have all its people at the heart of their efforts, she said.
Cr Bill Acklin said being involved in various parts of the community was a must.
"I’m not sure that we need to design a checklist for aspiring mayoralty candidates, but at least one term as a councillor certainly sets a mayor up to be able to understand the system, which is essential."
Business experience was not necessarily a good indicator.
A good mayor could "rise above the criticism that comes with the role".
Mr Treadwell said the mayor should be an advocate for the city on the national stage.
Prior council experience would be valuable, he said.
"However, we expect our newly elected councillors to be up to speed with these upon election, and the mayor has little more executive power than any other councillor.
"There is no point voting for the most experienced candidate if they’re planning to take the city in the wrong direction."
Cr Carmen Houlahan said there was a lot of learning on the job for councillors, and more so for a mayor.
Cr Mayhem said a mayor needed to maintain order at meetings, facilitating robust, well-informed and effective decision-making.
Other helpful attributes would include charisma, exceptional people skills and empathy.
