Aspiring Christchurch city councillor Kelly Barber has confirmed he will stand as an independent to replace mayoral candidate Phil Mauger in the Burwood Ward, his third tilt at securing election.
Barber previously aligned himself with The People’s Choice and Labour when standing for the Coastal Ward in 2019 and in the subsequent by-election last October where he polled a distant fifth behind independent Celeste Donovan.
"That was probably the pivotal moment for me," said Barber who had adopted the independent route successfully taken by Mauger and current Cashmere Ward representative Tim Scandrett.
Scandrett stood unsuccessfully under the The People’s Choice banner in 2010 in the Spreydon-Heathcote Ward, but was elected as an independent since 2013.
"It’s been done before. I talked to Tim Scandrett about it, about his experience,” Barber said.
Barber, who is chairman of the Coastal-Burwood Community Board, is confident his non-partisan stance and background in Burwood, where he has lived for 30 years, will be beneficial in the local government elections on October 8.
"The fact I came fifth showed me a lot of things.
"One, I was running in a ward where people wanted a homegrown person. I have a very strong association with Burwood,” he said.
