19 May 2009

Far North mayor defends proxy submissions

10:29 am on 19 May 2009

Far North Mayor Wayne Brown is denying he acted unethically by making submissions on behalf of business colleagues.

Fellow councillors have criticised Mr Brown for writing submissions on the council's future in the names of his wife, two other business partners and an employee.

The submissions support ideas favoured by the mayor, including a unitary authority in the Far North and a change to capital value rating.

Wayne Brown says he had the approval of all four people to make the submissions and has done nothing wrong.

Mr Brown says says he took the action after noticing at the last minute that groups supporting land value rating had put in huge numbers of identical submissions, in an apparent campaign.

The council's chief executive, Colin Dale, says the mayor's actions appear unorthodox, rather than wrongful.