The Star: June 29, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Thursday June 29 2017 7
ews
David East: I was ‘persecuted’
City councillor
speaks out over
controversial
directors’ fees
• By Bridget Rutherford
CITY councillor David East says
he was “persecuted” over his
controversial decision to keep his
directors’ fees.
Speaking to the media for
the first time, Cr East told The
Star his stand to keep more
than $20,000 in directors’ fees
ultimately cost
him another term
on Transwaste
when he was
re-elected late
last year.
Cr East (right)
and former city
councillor Ali
Jones were criticised when they
refused to donate their directors’
fees to charity last term, while
others gave theirs to the Mayor’s
Welfare Fund and Imagination
Station.
The fees come on top of their
salaries, which increased to
$100,699 last year.
“When it came to the
EXCLUDED: City councillor David East was a director of
Transwaste last term, but did not regain the role.
beginning of this term, I was
just excluded from retaining
that director’s position purely
on the basis on my stand on the
previous term,” Cr East said.
Only Christchurch City
Holdings councillor directors
have to donate their fees,
but there is no obligation for
Transwaste.
“They had every opportunity
in the last few years to amend
that and chose not to and in the
end just chose to persecute me by
excluding me from consideration
and making appointments on
a political basis and not giving
any consideration to the skill and
experience,” Cr East said.
Cr East was one of four
councillors who applied for
the three Canterbury Regional
Landfill Joint Committee
positions.
At an April meeting, Deputy
Mayor Andrew Turner moved
for councillors Pauline Cotter,
Mike Davidson and Glenn
Livingstone to be appointed
onto it. From there a Transwaste
director would be chosen.
Cr East said he was uncomfortable
about the voting process.
Mayor Lianne Dalziel
apologised to Cr East and asked
the voting be deferred.
“I’m feeling very concerned
about that and I would like to
take some time to reflect on it,”
Ms Dalziel said at the meeting.
At a later meeting, councillors
unanimously voted the three
recommended councillors be
appointed to the committee. Cr
Aaron Keown abstained.
Cr Turner told The Star
Cr East wasn’t “persecuted”.
He recommended the three
councillors because they were
best placed for the job and
it linked with their council
committees, he said.
“The directors’ fees didn’t form
any part of that discussion.”
He said that was “largely
irrelevant” as the city council
was preparing a new policy on
the issue, to be voted on next
month.
Cr East said councillor
directors were expected to “do
it for nothing and take all the
liability”.
“We have a left-leaning
Labour-type governance
structure in council and it’s
their policy and that’s what I
have to live with. It’s a crazy
philosophy but that’s the way
they think.”
Wagner to
meet with
councillors
• By Bridget Rutherford
NICKY WAGNER will meet with
city councillors tomorrow, more
than two months after she took
over the role.
The Minister supporting
Greater Christchurch
Regeneration said it would be the
first of many official meetings
they would have together.
It comes after The Star reported
city councillors were frustrated
they hadn’t met with Minister
supporting Greater Christchurch
Regeneration Nicky Wagner.
They wanted to improve on
the communication the city
council had with Mrs Wagner’s
predecessor Gerry Brownlee.
Mrs Wagner said they would be
able to ask questions and discuss
particular issues.
She met weekly with Mayor
Lianne Dalziel, and spoke a lot
with councillors, but this was
their first official meeting, she
said.
Labour’s Canterbury
spokeswoman, MP Megan
Woods, said she was pleased
the meeting was scheduled, but
disappointed it had not been
earlier.
• Columns, p15, 16, 17
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