Broughton, who had served as mayor since 2016 and as a councillor since 2010, lost to Lydia Gliddon by 13,532 votes – only three years after winning his previous election by 12,049 votes.
Since Saturday’s result, he has not responded to the Selwyn Times apart from a one-line text message saying he has “no plans currently” for what he will do next.
Even in the lead-up to the election, Broughton had not been responding to questions from the newspaper.
He announced in January he would stand for a record-equalling fourth term, but his campaign remained largely low-key.
Broughton relied on his track record and argued he would provide stable leadership for a mostly new council – but the district appeared ready for change.
Despite the loss, he will remain the Local Government New Zealand president until the middle of next year, a role which pays $102,215 a year.
Some viewed his LGNZ position as a distraction that left him out of touch with the district, though Broughton maintained it benefited Selwyn.
During his final term, he led the council through two years of steep rate increases – 14.9% in 2024 and 14.2% this year.
While he did not respond to the Selwyn Times for an interview, Broughton told Newstalk ZB on Monday that rate hikes were a factor in his defeat.
“We had larger-than-average rates increases in the last couple of years. You’d have to ask people individually why they voted the way they did, but I think that is part of the story here.”
He said that while the decision cost him politically, he believed the increases were the right move to invest in long-term infrastructure.
Following the election, Broughton posted a video on Facebook congratulating Gliddon and also thanked the community.
“To the community, thank you so much for your support through nine years of being your mayor it's been a real privilege, and to my family, (wife) Liz and (daughter) Elliott, thank you so much for your support and for me through these years.”
