It will the first election either contestant has faced because sitting mayor Tamah Alley was appointed by her fellow councillors following the resignation of her mentor Tim Cadogan.
Mr Cadogan left office at Labour Weekend last year, timing his resignation to avoid a by-election as it was within a year of the next round of local body elections.
Mrs Alley, a former police officer and two-term councillor, was appointed by the district councillors at a meeting on October 30.
Before being appointed as mayor, Mrs Alley was the only Local Government New Zealand zone chair who was not a mayor or deputy mayor.
Challenging Mrs Alley is Roxburgh resident Mark Quinn. He is the founder of Challenging Councils — a movement set up to reclaim control over local government decisions and ensure councils are operating in a fair and transparent manner. He could not be contacted yesterday.
Mr Quinn’s LinkedIn profile says he worked as a self-employed troubleshooting business consultant, as a quotes administrator for Mitre 10 in Rangiora, and as a shellfish manager for Talleys in Motueka before being self-employed for the past 10 years.
Currently, Mr Quinn has an almond orchard in Roxburgh. He has been travelling the country holding meetings for Challenging Councils.
Challenging Councils’ website says it is time for action and to hold councils to account for rising rates and council debt. It says Challenging Councils is not political, incorporated, funded or conspiracy theorists.
