Napier mayor Richard McGrath has stood down his deputy mayor Sally Crown after she refused to resign and instead requested he undergo leadership training for what she called “ad-hoc”, “reckless” and “chaotic” decision-making.
The unprecedented breakdown between the pair played out in full public view at a Napier City Council meeting on Tuesday.
McGrath asked for Crown’s resignation at 2pm on Monday due to what he said was “a breakdown in the level of trust and loyalty he required in the Deputy Mayor’s role”.
Crown said she had been initially given until 5pm Monday to resign or be removed, which was then changed to 5pm on Tuesday when she refused.
But instead of waiting until 5pm Tuesday, Crown used Tuesday’s council meeting to reveal the standoff.
She told her fellow councillors she had been given no warning of McGrath’s intentions and felt “blindsided”.
McGrath appointed Crown as his deputy when elected in October and has the power to remove her as a result.
She would remain as a councillor.
“I will not be coerced or bullied into staying silent,” she told the meeting of McGrath’s actions.
She said the reasons given to her by the mayor for why she should resign were punctuated by two bullet points and a paragraph that summarised claims of a relationship breakdown.
She said it was the first time he had raised any concerns with her regarding the trust and confidence he had in her, her behaviour and performance in the role of deputy.
“My interpretation of the next part of the script, where Mayor Richard confirmed that I would retain all other senior roles and appointments, is that it is an acknowledgement of my professional leadership, capability, work ethic, and commitment to being an effective elected member.”
She said the “abrupt” nature of the mayor’s actions was about “control and coercion” and to demonstrate there was “unfettered power” attached to the role of Mayor.
“We are living in a time when the ramifications of blind allegiance to leadership are causing unrest and upheaval for individuals, families, and political systems across the world.”
She said to protect future elected members, the council and ratepayers, she would be seeking a judicial review on the decision-making process triggered by the mayor’s actions and had requested what costs and resources it would incur for the ratepayers.
She described McGrath’s decision-making as “ad-hoc”, “reckless” and “chaotic” and put forward a motion to fellow councillors to get McGrath training in communication and leadership skills.
Napier City Council CEO Louise Miller said officers would take Crown’s motion as an action, and bring it back to council through “proper process”.
The meeting was then concluded after a karakia.
After the meeting, McGrath said he had decided to stand Councillor Crown down from her role as Deputy Mayor.
“I have observed conduct and actions that, in my view, have not met the standard of collective leadership expected of that position.
“As Mayor, it is my responsibility to ensure the leadership team operates with respect and integrity.”
McGrath said he was elected with a clear agenda for change.
“I remain firmly committed to delivering on it for Napier. My priority is to protect the reputation and integrity of Napier City Council and I’m committed to ensuring we continue to work constructively as a team so this does not impact the delivery of the services our community relies on.
“While I had hoped this matter could be resolved amicably, today’s events have shown that Councillor Crown has chosen not to take that approach.”
McGrath said he would announce the appointment of a new Deputy Mayor in the coming days.
Full script: McGrath’s resignation request to Crown
I’ve asked to meet with you today to formally request your resignation as Deputy Mayor.
If you choose not to resign, I will be removing you from the deputy mayor role. That decision is made and final.
The reason for this is that I no longer have the level of trust and confidence I need in my deputy.
The relationship has reached a point where I do not feel I have someone at my side I can rely on completely.
I need a deputy mayor I trust implicitly and who fully supports me in the leading the city.Unfortunately, I do not believe we are in that position.
If you would like examples of where I feel trust has been compromised, I can provide two.
- Public commentary in the media that has undermined unified leadership
- Undermining behaviour within council-only forums
The decision relates to the deputy mayor position only.
Your other roles and responsibilities will remain unchanged, provided you wish to continue with them.As mentioned, I will give you the opportunity to decide how you would like to step down from the deputy mayor role, including the option to resign.
I will need your decision by 5pm today.If you choose to resign, I’m prepared to work with you on a joint media statement so this can be handled professionally and with dignity.
If you choose not to resign, I will issue a statement at 5pm today confirming the change.
You remain an elected member, and I respect the mandate you hold.
I expect that we will continue to work professionally together in the best interests of Napier.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
