An apparent breakdown in trust between the Dunedin City Council and the community could be repaired through more engaging leadership, mayoral candidate Sophie Barker says.
However, Mayor Aaron Hawkins has defended his approach to the job and said there would always be people who were disappointed in some council decisions.
"I’m proud of the work we’ve done to build broad political support for the city’s progressive direction," Mr Hawkins, who is seeking re-election, said.
Cr Barker has said she believes voters want change and "to feel like they’re being listened to".
The Otago Daily Times asked Cr Barker what she meant, given her voting record in the past term was similar to that of Mr Hawkins.
She pointed to leadership style and said the council did not appear to be cohesive enough.
"Does the community trust the council?
"The challenge is to work towards more of a culture of respect and trust."
Cr Barker summarised her candidacy as being about rebuilding trust and her being an independent "people person".
She was not convinced the strengths of some councillors had been harnessed well enough under Mr Hawkins and suggested the council needed to be more focused on implementing its strategies.
Mayoral rivals Crs Carmen Houlahan, Lee Vandervis and Jules Radich, and Crs Jim O’Malley and Andrew Whiley, have also raised objections about the mayor’s approach to leadership and communication.
However, Mr Hawkins has been staunchly defended by others, such as deputy mayor Christine Garey and Crs David Benson-Pope and Steve Walker.
Mr Hawkins said debate around the council table was robust, because elected members had the same range of values and world views as the community who elected them.
"The beauty of local government is that representatives across the political spectrum can work together to make good decisions," Mr Hawkins said.
His chairmanship of meetings was praised by outgoing councillors Mike Lord and Doug Hall.
Mr Hawkins said he had worked constructively with members of the National, Labour and Green parties and people who had never been political party members.
"It doesn’t get much more Labour than Cr Benson-Pope, and they don’t come much bluer than Cr Lord, and yet here we are working together to get good outcomes for Dunedin," he said.
"The mayor’s job, as chair of council, is to provide a forum where that range of views can be heard in a collegial fashion.
"In what have occasionally been trying circumstances, I like to think I’ve done a good job of that over the last three years."
