Mr Bell was elected to the position in October 2022, becoming the youngest mayor in New Zealand history at the age of 23, beating incumbent Tracy Hicks by only eight votes.
In a release, Mr Bell announced his campaign, touting his achievements in his first term.
His stated accomplishments include streamlined upper management, the scrapping of the Streets Alive project, driving ratepayer savings through redirection of funds and halting spending, and challenging wastewater regulations.
Mr Bell said, in a statement, he was focused on delivering a good bang for the ratepayer’s buck.
"Every decision we’ve made has focused on delivering value for ratepayers.
"We’ve moved away from vanity projects to concentrate on what really matters — reliable infrastructure, essential services and careful management of ratepayer money."
If re-elected, Mr Bell said he would prioritise delivering essential infrastructure efficiently, helping local businesses through council, driving regional growth, and making the council an easy place to work with for ratepayers through practical, community-focused solutions.
Mr Bell’s first term was not all roses, as he and the council found themselves mired in controversy early on which came to national attention.
This eventually culminated in a failed bid for a vote of no confidence and the deterioration of the relationship between Mr Bell and former chief executive Stephen Parry, who left his job in April last year.
Mr Bell said the decision to run again did not come quickly, but he wanted to continue to represent the community as well as he could.
He said he was prompted to stand again by people in the district.
"They all said ‘we really want you to stand again, please do another three years. We want to see this good movement, the momentum going forward’.
"So it was actually the community that made my decision easier for me," he said.
Mr Bell said there was still work to be done, but he was proud of the progress in his first term.
"I think we’re in a better position than we were when I came in. We had to make some really hard calls — the big rate increase last year was tough to bring through but necessary.
"There was a lot of unfunded infrastructure, and I’m really proud there are no vanity projects. We’ve focused on pipes and roads and core infrastructure, there’s been no flash buildings pop up when I’ve been here.
"I’d be naive to think we don’t have work to do. We have some serious issues in the water space we need to sort out. Hopefully in the long-term plan I can get recycling over the line and get this promise through."
