Trying to bully a Cr off Council

Stuff reports:

A Hutt City councillor found in “material and serious” breach of standards has been sent a letter signed by nine others around the council table calling for his resignation.

“We have completely lost confidence in you as a Hutt City councillor, and ask that you resign from your role as a Hutt City councillor immediately,” the letter, obtained by Stuff, sent to councillor Chris Milne said on February 24.

Responding on Tuesday, Milne said he would not resign.

Mayor Campbell Barry, as well as Deputy Mayor Tui Lewis and seven councillors – Simon Edwards, Josh Briggs, Andy Mitchell, Naomi Shaw, Deborah Hislop, Brady Dyer, and Keri Brown – all signed the letter calling for Milne’s resignation.

Milne on Tuesday sent Stuff the response – signed by him as well as councillors Leigh Sutton and David Bassett – denying the claims against him and calling for Barry to stand down, so an investigation could be made into allegations about him.

This is basically a group of Crs trying to bully off Council a Cr whose politics are different to them, because he seeks to hold the Mayor and Chief Executive to account.

Cr Milne’s letter is on his Facebook page and raises serious issues.

Personally I think code of conducts for Councils should be abolished. They just allow one group of Crs to sanction what others can do or say. Let the voters decide if they like how a Cr behaves.

If voters in his ward in Lower Hutt don’t like how Cr Milne does his job, then they won’t vote for him. But having a group of Crs trying to force another Cr off Council looks self serving.