Berry Withdraws and Endorses Palino

Affordable Auckland Mayoral candidate Stephen Berry has today announced that he will be withdrawing as a candidate from the 2016 local body elections.

Stephen Berry says that when he announced he would run for the mayoralty in April 2015, he said he would stay in the race as long as there was not another candidate with similar policies who stood a better chance of winning.

“Initially, when John Palino announced he would stand for the mayoralty again, I was sceptical of the benefits of yet another candidate splitting the centre-right vote and allowing Phil Goff to sleep-walk to victory.

“Unlike some other centre-right candidates, John has not been slow to offer solutions to the issues facing Auckland. His proposal to cut rates by 10% over three years is a great starting point in the conversation about the role Auckland Council has assumed. John’s call to abolish the Metropolitan Urban mirrors my own proposals to increase housing supply, while his plan to create development hubs outside of the central city revolutionises the usual tired central planning mantra.”

Mr. Berry believes Palino’s policy positions make his own candidacy unnecessary for this election cycle. “That’s why I am now endorsing John Palino to be the next Mayor of Auckland.”

Stephen Berry was the Affordable Auckland candidate for Mayor in 2013. He finished third behind Palino, taking nearly four percent of the vote.

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