Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson is known as the "Trump of the North" due to his racism and authoritarianism. And now he seems to be mirroring his idol's contempt for democracy, calling an emergency meeting of the Kaipara District Council in an effort to overturn the election results:
Craig Jepson, the outgoing mayor of Kaipara, has called an emergency meeting for Thursday evening challenging the results of the district and regional council elections.The Local Electoral Act includes provisions allowing candidates or electors to apply for a recount or challenge election results. None of them require a council meeting. Jepson is either attempting to bypass them (and try and illegally direct the local electoral officer to apply instead, and prevent results from being published), or they are trying to get the council to spend public money to support the appeal of his favoured candidate. Neither is acceptable.Jepson had endorsed his deputy Jonathan Larsen to succeed him, but on the preliminary vote Larsen is just five votes ahead of challenger Snow Tane. And Newsroom has been told that Tane is set to overhaul him, when election officials announce the special votes tomorrow.
Councillor Pera Paniora, whose Māori ward seat will be disestablished from Friday, says many older Māori and other voters had cast special votes for Tane.
They were dismayed at moves by Jepson and Larsen like banning karakia at council meetings, and disestablishing the Māori ward, she says.
Jepson claims there was misconduct in the election (signage for a different election which may not be illegal and which he thinks may have affected Kaipara's). If so that question can be determined by a judge. But in the meantime, he just looks like an outgoing mayor trying to use the council to put his thumb on the scale and overturn a vote rather than accept the will of the people.
