Monday, Oct 14, 2019
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Ashburton’s mayor elect Neil Brown and wife Judy.
Looking to the future P2
New mayor to lead our district By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
Chasing NZ Cup glory P18
PHOTO ROBYN HOOD 131019-RH-001
When Neil Brown woke up on Sunday morning, the reality of his new life hit him, fair between the eyes. Saturday morning he was Neil Brown, Joe Citizen; Saturday afternoon he became Neil Brown Ashburton District mayor elect. His phone rang red hot, friends and family called to celebrate, but it wasn’t until the next morning the impact of the new job hit home. Yesterday was one of reflection, of looking at the way his life would change and looking at the challenges ahead. He’s optimistic, more than optimistic about the future, saying voters had elected a solid team of councillors, a team he was keen to work with. With 15 years as a councillor behind him, the last three as deputy mayor, Brown said he had the advantage of plenty of local government experience, but he knows his life is about to get a
whole lot busier. “The mayor is a lot more in the public eye, where as, as a councillor you’re there getting on with the work. Now I’ll be out front leading and directing but this will be a team, not just one person.” He’s very clear that every mayor’s style is different. His will be inclusive and it will be about sharing the workload between councillors. With just nine around the table this coming term rather than 12, there will be no room for passengers, he said. “It’s important for all councillors to have a good relationship with the mayor and with each other and it’s important we keep an open mind on issues.” There are critical issues he will be working had to see if not resolved, then progressed. “We need to sort the water issue out. This district is blessed with plenty of water and we all need to be able to use it. It’s the lifeblood of the district. It’s a
huge issue, especially with the freshwater plan out there. As a council we need to advocate to central government, that’s our role.” Within the district the council had a lot of consented water as stockwater, but more efficient use of this water meant there were surpluses that should be used on other projects, he said. Also high on his list is getting rural and town residents on the same page, looking at the future from the same direction. “And to be fair, we’re not too far away from that now,” he said. His first job will be to meet with councillors, talk about their interests, the areas they would like to be involved. From there he’ll allocate portfolio and specific roles. Among those will be the all important job of deputy mayor.
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