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Former Southland Mayor Joins Election Race In Surprise Move
Former Southland mayor Gary Tong has backtracked on comments he would “definitely not” stand this election by doing exactly that.
This week, Tong announced he would seek a fourth term in the top job after falling agonisingly short at the last election.
The 2022 race resulted in a third-place finish for Tong, just 45 votes behind current mayor Rob Scott and six votes behind farmer Geoffrey Young.
In March, Tong told Local Democracy Reporting he would not be running for either mayor or council at the upcoming election because he was too busy.
He also ruled out standing in the future, saying the role needed a “young brain”.
But all that had changed following discussions and some further thought.
“My family are a wee bit concerned because of the heart attack I had four or five years ago, but I think you learn to look after your health and look after yourself, and family and friends come first,” he said.
Tong added he hadn’t followed the current council closely and wouldn’t put much effort into a campaign.
The main focus would be on water reforms and looking at council policies, with family and friends coming ahead of the job.
“Not saying that I’m going to sit home and do nothing while council’s going, but if there’s a family event or something going on then I will be treating that as a priority, because I failed that in the last nine years that I was mayor.”
It is not the first time Tong has made a U-turn on his mayoral plans; at the start of his third term in 2019, he said it would be his last.
Tong made an early announcement in 2021 that he would contest the Invercargill mayoralty before changing his mind and ultimately losing to Scott in the Southland race.
Former Gore mayor Tracy Hicks also lost a close race at the last election and recently indicated to RNZ he might stand again.
Hicks said on Tuesday he was reflecting and talking to people with a decision not far away.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Local Democracy Reporting
Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.
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