Deputy mayor steps away from Timaru council

Timaru’s deputy mayor said his decision not to seek re-election in this year’s local body elections was ‘‘massive’’ and one he did not make lightly.

Steve Wills’ name was a surprise omission from the list of candidates nominated for the Timaru District Council when nominations closed at midday yesterday.

While the three-term councillor told The Timaru Herald in May he intended to stand again, yesterday he said after talking to his family he had decided to stand down from the council after ‘‘a lot of reflection’’.

The day before the 2019 elections, Wills suffered a stroke and was rushed to hospital after he fell ill during the spin class his wife Mandy Wills was instructing at Timaru’s CBay gymnasium.

The following day he was reelected for his third term – the highest polling candidate in the Timaru ward in the 2019 election with 7279 votes.

‘‘I hit a road block three years ago, and I’ve thought now I need to step back and think about quality of life.’’

Wills was also the highest polling candidate in the 2013, and 2016 elections.

He had given much of his time to the community in the past 30 years, he said.

‘‘That’s been through policing, social services and sport.

‘‘I’ve done nine years now [in council] and it’s been challenging and rewarding.’’

He said he was now starting to see some of the council’s big decisions coming to fruition, such as the redevelopment of the Theatre Royal.

He said challenges lay ahead for the council with the Three Waters and local government reforms.

He had also enjoyed the role, engaging with people and thinking about how decisions the council made would affect the people living in the community.

‘‘I have always had an open door policy and have enjoyed talking to people about the decisions made.

‘‘Everyone has a sense of ownership in Timaru and people are very passionate about what’s happening.’’

Wills said he was excited to see new candidates standing for the council and since people had heard of his decision not to stand, he had received many messages and phone calls.

‘‘People are showing an interest in these elections and that’s great to see.

‘‘It’s been an absolute privilege and honour to be the deputy mayor and I hold my head high.’’

Wills is the only current councillor from the Timaru ward not seeking re-election and one candidate looking to grab a spot at the council table is Owen (OJ) Jackson, founder and chairperson of the Caroline Bay CPlay project.

Jackson, a breakfast radio host who has run for council twice before – 2016 and 2017 – says the flame still burns brightly for local politics and he is much better equipped to run for council in 2022.

He feels that he’ll offer a new set of eyes and add some new depth around the council table particularly around community connection.

‘‘I’ve always been well-connected to my community but the CPlay project has taken that to a whole new level and enabled me to really develop my skills of negotiation and governance.

‘‘I’ve been able to build many strong relationships with people of all levels in the community and I’m excited about the opportunity to represent them on council.’’

Jackson’s campaign slogan is ‘‘Let’s Get Things Done’’ because he feels that too many projects are taking too long to come to fruition and cites the proposed Heritage Centre, Aigantighe Art Gallery and CBD upgrade as examples.

‘‘I’ve been concerned for a number of years that we are becoming poor relations to Ō amaru and Ashburton when it comes to delivering projects in a timely fashion.

‘‘We seem to have become more risk-averse and bogged down in consultation without actually getting anything done.

‘‘As we have seen with recent projects this comes with increased costs to ratepayers. I understand the need to do things properly but the world is moving at a fast pace and we are getting left behind,’’ Jackson said.

A community board in the Mackenzie district was the only area short of the required candidates when nominations closed.

Only the Tekapo Community Board could not fill its quotas with three nominations for the four vacancies as last day nominations swelled the final list.

Elections will not be required in the Pleasant Point-Temuka ward on the Timaru District Council with Michelle Pye and Scott Shannon the only nominations for the two council positions and for the Tekapo ward in the Mackenzie District where Matt Murphy is the sole nomination.

It is a similar story in the Waimate District where Colin Pankhurst is the sole nomination for the Hakataramea-Waihaorunga ward’s councillor position while in the Pareora-Otaio-Makikihi ward, Sandy McAlwee and Tom O’Connor will be elected automatically as well.

All other wards and boards are headed to a postal vote.