Despite admitting being a cannabis user and having driven a bus while "stoned", Waimate district councillor Sandy Mulqueen looks set to retain her seat on the council.
On Tuesday, the Ashburton-born councillor admitted to Jim Mora on National Radio that she had smoked dope while working as a bus driver for the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA).
"I was stoned a lot. I never had one complaint from anyone, either from staff, inspectors or the public that were riding on my bus."
The 52-year-old councillor, who lodged a submission to the council's Long Term Plan in May calling for it to back her "We Desire Change" campaign to legalise cannabis, also admitted to the Otago Daily Times on Tuesday that she remained a cannabis user.
However, Waimate Mayor John Coles said that although Cr Mulqueen's "personal crusade" to decriminalise cannabis had caused much reaction within the community, it was unlikely that she would, or could, be removed from her post.
"As a mayor, you can't really dismiss a councillor without good reason, so really, she's here until such time as the next local body elections, when the local community will have their say.
"Even though I tried to persuade Ms Mulqueen to withdraw her submission, after seeking advice on the matter, council staff had no choice but to accept and process the submission.
"To date, I have had many visits and phone calls from members of the public who completely oppose this submission and want to know how this action will affect Ms Mulqueen's future on council.
"There were a number of candidates who stood for council in the past election and the disappointment which is being expressed to me about Ms Mulqueen as a Waimate ward representative can only be answered through the election process."
Waimate was still a "great little town" and the controversy should not detract from its positive attributes, he added.
Waimate ward councillor Craig Rowley declined to comment on whether Ms Mulqueen was fit to be a councillor, but said as far as he was aware, no-one from the council had made any calls for her to resign.
"As far as the issue goes with the decriminalisation of cannabis submission that she is putting forward, I believe it is something that should be considered by central Government. It's nothing that should be considered in our local long-term plan."
Cr Mulqueen yesterday was adamant that both her campaign and media-reported admissions would not harm the community, and said she would press on with a public launch of her campaign at Victoria Park Gardens in Waimate on Saturday.
"There has been a whole lot of jumping to conclusions about what I am proposing, but I have certainly not had anyone knocking down the door or ringing me to lambast me.
"I have had one message from a chap, and once I explained my position ... he said best of luck.
"He turned around from his initial anti position, and I hope that will happen more and more."
But on the streets of Waimate yesterday, few people were willing to give Ms Mulqueen much backing.
Fellow resident Shelley Styles said although she admired Ms Mulqueen for standing up for her views, the issue was "dividing the town".
One Waimate resident, who declined to be named, said the town had become a laughing stock in the wake of Ms Mulqueen's actions.
"My husband works in Timaru and he has been the butt of all jokes."
