Councillor under fire defends accusations

A newly-elected councillor accused of misconduct as a council contractor in 2018 says he has made mistakes but is committed to serving the community.

This week, Vincent ward councillor-elect Dave McKenzie was the subject of social media posts alleging he had altered an invoice for personal gain when working as a council contractor in 2018.

The post was made by Rachel Kerr, the widow of former Central Otago District Council property and facilities manager Mike Kerr. In subsequent posts she has also called for him to stand down.

CODC issued a statement saying they were aware of the concerns.

“While the Council thoroughly reviews the findings from the previous investigation, Council will remain transparent about the matter and inform the public in due course,” chief executive Peter Kelly said.

McKenzie has since addressed the accusations saying the social media post “appeared to stem more from as a vengefully response [sic] to a fractured friendship rather than any reflection on my professional performance”.

He labelled the post a smear campaign and said it spoke of hate and anger.

In the long statement, he said he had previously chosen not to respond publicly to the posts out of respect for Kerr but felt it was now “necessary to clarify the facts”.

According to McKenzie the dispute arose following proposed changes to a long-standing property maintenance contract he held with the council which he declined.

“Following that, several issues arose: accepted quotes were withdrawn, non-urgent requests were classified as urgent, and contracted work was reassigned to other contractors,” McKenzie said.

“I initiated the dispute resolution process and requested a meeting.”

He says when the meeting was finally held, he was told, ‘We make no apology and will do everything we can to save the Council money’.

McKenzie said the situation came to a head when an accepted quote came in under budget and CODC claimed combining McKenzie’s costs with subcontractor costs on one invoice breached the contract.

McKenzie says he was not given the chance to contribute to a subsequent internal review which he claims incorrectly alleged multiple unapproved margins.

He repaid the disputed amount of $1000 during the review and worked out the three-month contract termination period afterwards.

“Did I make mistakes seven years ago? Yes — as we all do. But I learned from them, as every professional should. Was I solely responsible for the issues that arose? No. Contractual relationships require good faith from both sides, and that was not always evident toward the end,” he says.

“Despite these experiences, I have not been put off, and I remain committed to serving the community. I stood for election because I believe ratepayers desperately need a strong advocate — someone who understands how Council operates and who will work constructively with staff to deliver essential services efficiently.”

Crux has requested a copy of the internal review in question but this has been processed as an official information request which takes up to 20 working days.

Mayor Tamah Alley previously said she took the allegations seriously.

“My expectation of all elected members is that their integrity and suitability to serve the community must be beyond reproach at all times. I have discussed the matter with the Chief Executive and understand that several formal requests for information have already been received,” she said.

“I want to assure our community that any information held by council relevant to these allegations will be released through the appropriate channels under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA).”

Alley said she did not have the power to remove elected members and McKenzie met the eligibility requirements set by the Electoral Officer to run for office.

According to preliminary results, with about 85 per cent of votes counted, McKenzie has 1582 votes giving him the final seat representing the Vincent Ward. He is just 38 votes ahead of the next highest poller with final results due on Thursday.