Mrs Claridge confirmed her bid yesterday for the top job. Mr Lepper (57) is standing for his second term as mayor and said he welcomed having a rival.
''I think it's always healthy to have an election and I look forward to talking about the issues in Central Otago,'' he said. Mrs Claridge, who declined to give her exact age, saying she was in her 50s, is co-owner of a funeral business in Central Otago and an accounting manager.
''I have interesting and diverse roles and a comprehensive appreciation of the challenges and difficulties faced by business owners out there.
'' I was on the community board and council for about 12 years and got frustrated with it, trying to make a difference.''
She represented the Alexandra ward on the council, standing down in 2010 after three terms but has decided to stand for the mayoralty rather than the council this time.
''Why not ... if you want to see change, go right to the top ... then you can make a difference.
''The mayoralty provides a unique opportunity to see and understand issues facing our community. I am passionate about Central Otago, and while I want to preserve our ''world of difference'', I also understand that things are tough out there for business and I want to see the council getting right in there and physically knocking on business doors to offer all the assistance that we can glean out of government and other support corridors to benefit our community.''
She criticised ''the huge expense'' of the council's draft economic development plan, now open for submissions.
'' ... it's all been done before, we know what we want - employment, so that families can stay together, lifestyle, support systems.
''Visualise a business starting up in Central Otago as a tiny green seedling, popping up out of our winter brown - we have to nurture and look after it for it to flourish - that's what council should be doing, not wasting precious time on yet another submission process for information already to hand.''
Mrs Claridge, who is married and has two adult children, said she was in a position to devote the time required to do justice to the role of mayor.
