January 21, 2022 7:00am by David Farrar

She’s running, he’s running

Wellington City councillor Fleur Fitzsimons is bowing out of local body politics but is not ruling out running for Parliament.
“I have done five years and there have been highs and lows,” she said on Tuesday, as she announced she would not stand for council again in local body elections later in 2022.

Fleur is, like me, a political animal. The only reason she would quite Council after two terms is because of the chance to stand for Parliament.

But she is doing the right thing. Far better to not stand again for Council because she is interested in Parliament, than stand again in October and cause a by-election a year later if she becomes an MP.

Rumours around Wellington have long circulated that Fitzsimons was considering running on a Labour ticket in the Rongotai ward in the next general election.
On Tuesday, she said she was not ruling this out, but would need to discuss it with current Labour MP – and former Wellington deputy mayor – Paul Eagle.

The fact Fleur is retiring off Council, is an incredibly strong indicator that Paul Eagle will stand for Mayor.

This isn’t a bad thing. Paul may be in Labour, but when he was on WCC he showed a real ability to work constructively with people from across the political spectrum. And Wellington needs a Council that can work together, as opposed to the chaos of the last few years under Lester and Foster.

Councillor Nicola Young – politically to the right of the Fitzsimons – was someone she now considered a friend.
“I have found her to be someone really committed to Wellington,” she said.

This shows you can disagree on politics, but still work well together. Nicola is very good at working constructively on issues.