Just over 3400 people responded to the starnews.co.nz online poll which asked: If there was an election now, would you vote for Mauger, Templeton or neither?
Forty-seven per cent said Templeton would get their vote, 43 per cent backed Mauger and interestingly, 10 per cent said they would vote for neither.
Local body elections will be held in October next year.
Mauger would not comment on the poll when contacted by The Star, or say if he believed Templeton had the qualities to be mayor.
In an emailed statement he said: “My focus right now as mayor is on delivering on the LTP (long term plan) and preparing a draft annual plan to go out for public feedback next year, and making sure we deliver on the key infrastructure committed to the city.”
He will decide in the New Year whether to run for a second term.
Templeton was pleased with the poll result, but said they will become more representative of public opinion once other candidates join the race.
“I’d like to thank people for the confidence and support,” she said.
Templeton said she was ahead in the starnews.co.nz poll because of community concerns about the impacts of climate change.
“They do expect councils to be thinking long term, looking after our core infrastructure and planning really well for future generations.”
She is a longstanding supporter of building cycleways and facilitating alternative transport to cars.
But senior city councillor and strong Mauger ally Sam MacDonald said Templeton would not be able to lead a unified council because of her “ideological views”.
He believed she would not be able to put aside her pro-cycleway and other public transport priorities to work with councillors who have more car-centric views.
“What he (Mauger) has done is lead a very united approach to council. So even if he loses a vote, he rolls up his sleeves and gets on with it. I’m not so sure that would happen under Sara,” MacDonald said.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said on Tuesday he will be placing an observer on the Wellington City Council after councillors decided to rewrite its Long Term Plan for 2024-2034.
Templeton rejected MacDonald’s comparison between a council led by her and the dysfunction of the Wellington City Council, pointing to her advocacy for more spending on water infrastructure.
“One thing that Wellington has taught us is that if you keep pushing out your spending on water infrastructure, then you end up in a mess.”
MacDonald would not say whether he could personally work with Templeton as mayor, labelling the scenario a “hypothetical’’.
“I haven’t seen that ability in Sara to unite. Obviously, I am elected by my ward to do work with anyone though.”
Templeton was disappointed MacDonald said she was too ideological to lead council, calling it “petty politics”.
She said voters deserve discussions about the issues facing the city instead.
“I’ve always been really constructive and worked with colleagues,” she said.
MacDonald said the poll showing Templeton in the lead was unsurprising as Mauger has not yet said whether he is running again.
