His real test is next year, when the Dunedin City Council’s 2024-34 long-term plan will need to be adopted.
In the meantime, this year delivered interesting moments for the first-term mayor.
The worst of them was a disastrous radio interview in which he minimised a racial slur from a community board chairman after Mr Radich’s council had unequivocally condemned the conduct.
This August interview led to deputy mayor Sophie Barker filing a complaint about his own conduct and then her resignation, deciding to carry on as simply a councillor.
Mr Radich was found to have breached the code of conduct, bringing the council into disrepute.
Through such difficulty, the mayor maintained a cheerful disposition, and Cherry Lucas took over as deputy mayor.
Mr Radich was unable to take most of the council with him in signalling to the community how a zero-carbon plan might best be implemented.
He preferred a low-investment initial track, but the council is to consult the community on a high-investment scenario and present medium investment as the leading alternative.
In March, his push to reinstate a groyne — or a line of poles planked together — at St Clair Beach to hopefully build up sand there seemed to stall.
Through much of this year, the council’s chamber has been decked out in "they save, we pay" messaging, reflecting a council campaign opposing cuts to the design of the city’s new hospital.
It has mostly been successful, as some proposed cuts were reversed.
In November, Mr Radich led a delegation to Dunedin’s sister city in China, Shanghai.
