Coastal mayor Sandra Goudie still 'thumbing her nose' over climate change signature
A coastal mayor is holding out on signing a local government climate leaders declaration despite a majority of councillors endorsing it, with a local action group chair describing her as autocratic. The matter will be tested this Thursday at an audit and risk committee meeting where a motion calls on the full Thames-Coromandel council to note her failure to sign, and to nominate and authorise another elected councillor to do so. Mayor Sandra Goudie says she wont comment publicly on the motion beforehand. But she defends her view that signing could lock the council into spending an unknown quantum on climate change measures , a concern she said was supported by the High Court. The background is that Local Government New Zealand created a declaration on climate change for councils to sign up to. READ MORE: * Thames Coromandel's new councillors move towards signing climate declaration * Climate change report now 'top priority' for Council that first voted against declaration * Climate declaration just 'rhetoric', Thames Coromandel Mayor maintains after High Court ruling During the last council term, Thames-Coromandel decided not to sign but a High Court challenge saw it subsequently undertake public consultation, and this resulted in strong submitter support for signing. Last December, a six to three majority of councillors resolved to sign. Now, in the face of Goudies continued failure to sign, Thursdays motion has been lodged by Cr Martin Rodley, seconded by Cr Robyn Sinclair. Our community, in the consultation, is overwhelmingly in favour of it being signed, said Rodley. If the communitys will was ignored that was not serving the right purpose. Getting the signature out of the way would allow energy to be focused on developing Thames-Coromandels climate change plans, Rodley said. Sinclair was also keen to see majority will enforced so there was no distraction from climate change action planning. I would like it progressed. If the motion is approved it will still require full council endorsement next month and a legal opinion would be needed about whether someone other than Goudie could sign, Rodley added. Denis Tegg, chair of the Hauraki Coromandel Climate Action group which took the High Court challenge, said he was pleased councillors were holding their autocratic mayor to account. The councils own Code of Conduct requires all elected members to show support for decisions and implement them once they are made, he said in a statement. Tegg, also a regional councillor, told Stuff: You cant have a mayor thumbing her nose at a council decision ... its what shes doing. The argument that signing the declaration was like signing a blank cheque was a nonsense as he felt councils had ultimate discretion over what they would spend. Goudie, however, said the court and even Teggs group had added weight to her view. On taking a leap of faith on possible spending resulting from signing up, she said: You cant do something like that.