Waitaki district councillor Peter Garvan, who has been on the board for nine years, resigned from the trust on Tuesday evening.
In an article in Tuesday's Otago Daily Times, Oamaru artist Donna Demente criticised the board, saying it made decisions in an ‘‘ivory tower'' and the trust operated in a ‘‘very corporate way''.
During a meeting the previous week, Ms Demente and about 60 supporters confronted Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher about the council's appointments to the board, calling for ‘‘new blood''.
Yesterday, Cr Garvan told the ODT his decision was not related to that criticism.
Cr Garvan also gave the ODT a copy of an advertisement he has paid to run in Saturday's paper.
It warns trust members to vote no on a proposed rule change to give free trust membership to tenants, which will be voted on at the trust's annual meeting on March 30.
‘‘The consequences of this rule change being approved could mean tenants' control of the trust by stealth,'' the advertisement says.
Tenants' interests did not always align with the broader mandate of preserving and restoring the precinct's heritage buildings, he said.
Cr Garvan, who was chairman of the trust in 2015, had been taking the mayor's spot as a substitute on the board since 2007. He said his decision to leave the board and the trust this week was not due to the ongoing criticism from a ‘‘vociferous minority''.
‘‘I have been targeted for two years; it doesn't worry me. It doesn't worry me at all,'' he said.
‘‘I think it's grossly unfair that the trust is a very sympathetic landlord, it's not perfect ... and the small group, the small group, just keep kicking them in the head.''
Ms Demente could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Cr Garvan said the trust should focus on the broader heritage conservation area rather than simply Harbour and Tyne Sts, where the trust owns 15 buildings. And he said the trust's income gave it very little room to operate as a marketing, tourism body, as it did.
Cr Garvan declined to comment on the ‘‘other frustrations'' that led to his resignation.
‘‘At the board level there has been a free exchange of views, there's been different views on some of these issues,'' he said.
Cr Garvan said he had considered stepping away as early as a year ago.
Assuming the mayor's role, Mr Kircher said the trust was going through a period of ‘‘significant change'' and he had been considering stepping into the role for about a year.
‘‘It's a number of factors that have come into the timing of this,'' Mr Kircher said.
There was ‘‘fundamental change'' that he wanted to see in the trust.
‘‘In saying that I want to say that there has been a lot of great work that has been done,'' Mr Kircher said.
‘‘I think it's more ‘operational', how the trust operates, how responsibilities are divided. The trust is trying to be everything for everyone.
‘‘The tourism promotions side of things, how much should be done of that? How much should be left for others?
''The trust's chairwoman, Kate Proctor, also said despite the ‘‘weird timing'' she saw the changes as potentially positive.
While Cr Garvan had contributed to the trust, it would be beneficial having Mr Kircher ‘‘in the room''.
There were issues at the board level where there had been disagreement, but ‘‘there always are''.
Sally-Ann Donnelly also resigned from the trust board due to her business commitments. At the annual meeting on March 30, Richard Vinbrux was expected to be confirmed to replace Keith Stevens, who did not seek re-election.
