"After what we have been through in this triennium, it would be very easy to walk away," he says.
"That is not me."
Ferguson says he feels sorry for first-term councillors who off the bat had to contend with a massive confidential settlement to resolve one of New Zealand’s biggest leaky-building cases — unit owners of Queenstown’s Oaks Shores had been suing the council, and other parties, for $162.9million.
"That just took so much money out of the community, and we’ve paid the price for that a wee bit, in terms of feedback and where we could have spent that money — on community, or some of it anyway."
There were also twin crises — a cryptosporidium outbreak and a downpour leading to a short-lived state of emergency after more than 100 people were evacuated from their homes and slash from Bob’s Peak devastating about a third of Queenstown Cemetery — ongoing issues and frustration with the controversial arterial road, and, most recently, the Shotover wastewater treatment plant problems.
But Ferguson says he’s realised this term "longevity, history and knowledge" play an important role in "cyclical" projects and issues, which continue to circle through the system, and points to his work on the Community & Services committee, which he chairs, as particularly rewarding, noting they’ve gained "small wins" to move the dial on projects and issues, under tight fiscal constraints.
"Empathy and care of the community is a big part of it for me.
"The visits to accommodation providers impacted by the arterial project, and the numerous face-to-face visits with residents looking for guidance and answers from a confusing council landscape [are] just as important as the decisions you make around the table."
Last week, council released the results from its community insights survey, which revealed just 17% of respondents thought the council was making decisions in the best interests of the district.
Ferguson: "There’s always work to be done.
"We do not always get it right, but think of this from a community/councillor perspective — sometimes we have to imagine and believe in things we do not know yet."
Looking ahead, should he be re-elected, Ferguson’s hoping there’s "a better working relationship between elected members and the executive leadership team".
"I think that’s crucial and, maybe, if senior councillors are voted back in, we need to take a bit more of a role in that, and setting whatever the next triennium starts with.
"A new term brings a new group to the table, so you start with a clean slate [and] you cannot promise anything, other than doing the best job you can."
Nominations for this year’s local body elections officially open on July 1.
