Does Shadbolt lack the cognitive ability to drive?

Stuff reports:

The driver’s licence of Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt has been suspended, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has confirmed.

Stuff asked the 74-year-old Shadbolt last week what the current status of his licence was, but he declined to comment, saying it was a legal and confidential matter that had been dealt with. …

If Shadbolt had just lost his licence for trivial reasons such as too many speeding tickets, then this would not be an issue.

But the suspicion has to be that his licence was suspended due to a lack of cognitive ability. And if this is true, then how can you have a Mayor who is meant to lead a Council in highly complex decisions, if he can’t even cope with driving a car. The independent report into the Council already concluded Shadbolt can’t perform the role of Mayor.

Really the time has come for the Government to act. Councils has been sacked for far less. If Shadbolt won’t resign, surely the Government has a duty to Invercargill to step in and sack the Council. You could reappoint the competent ones as Commissioners.