Former Act New Zealand list MP, Dunedin city councillor, and one-term Otago regional councillor Hilary Calvert was a surprise omission from the list of candidates for the council published on Friday.
Cr Calvert was not able to be reached for comment last night, but she has been a vocal opponent of the Government as a councillor, including recently being highly critical of Environment Minister David Parker’s involvement with the council as it re-writes its freshwater plans.
Only three incumbent councillors put their names forward for the six-seat Dunedin constituency.
Crs Andrew Noone, Gretchen Robertson and Bryan Scott are seeking re-election.
However, as well as Cr Calvert’s decision to stand aside, during the past triennium Marian Hobbs resigned and was not replaced, and seven-term councillor Michael Deaker said there were "many excellent people in Dunedin who could do a better job on ORC than me".
When nominations closed yesterday, there were 15 candidates seeking a seat in Dunedin.
They were among the 24 total candidates running for the 12-seat regional council this year.
Only Cr Kevin Malcolm stands unopposed in the Moeraki constituency.
In Dunstan, incumbents Crs Gary Kelliher, Alexa Forbes and Michael Laws are all seeking re-election.
However, former Central Otago mayor Tony Lepper is looking to break into the regional council, as is former University of Otago marine science associate professor Mike Barker.
In Molyneux, Crs Carmen Hope and Kate Wilson are seeking re-election.
However, Clutha district councillor Lloyd McCall is also contesting a seat.
In 2019, 28 candidates ran for the council and four incumbents stood aside.
