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Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni says the incumbent Mayor, Wayne Brown has only shown up to three of the 13 ‘meet the candidate’ events in the lead up to the Auckland local elections.
Voting for the elections opened on September 9 and will close at 12pm on October 11.
Auckland Council says the ‘meet your candidates’ events are hosted by organisations Auckland Council is partnering with. It does not include events run independently by other community groups.
“These events give voters the opportunity to meet local election candidates and ask questions about their priorities for Auckland. Each event will feature candidates standing for a specific local board and ward,” the Council website says.
Elected as Whau Ward Councillor in 2022, Leoni represents Auckland areas which include New Lynn, Avondale and Kelston.
She told the Franklin Times that Wayne Brown left a ‘meet your candidates’ event in Karaka on Monday evening, September 15, after half an hour.
“The meeting lasted for at least two hours and I stayed the entire time. I have only seen him at three events and each time he leaves early.
“I have been to all of the 13 meetings I have been invited to,” Leoni says.
“I find it arrogant he won’t engage in debates.
“They [the debates] are meant to be interviews and part of democracy.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Wayne Brown campaign says this is not the case.
“The people of Auckland have seen Wayne continuing to work very hard as Mayor in recent weeks. Auckland Transport is being bought under local control, and he officially opened the new Watercare plant at new Snells Beach.
“Wayne Brown has been to dozens of meetings across the city, including many ‘meet the candidates’ events. He’s unable to attend every single one, as there are often scheduling conflicts with his mayoral duties, and not all candidates are invited to all meetings. There are 1.2 million potential voters in this election.
“Many of the other candidates make the same, repetitive speeches and unsubstantiated claims, there are better uses of his time as he seeks to serve the ratepayers of Auckland,” the spokesperson said.
A poll conducted between August 11-15 this year by Freshwater Strategy, surveyed 1246 residents in Auckland. It was commissioned by the Fix Auckland – Wayne Brown for Mayor Campaign.
Results put Wayne Brown’s support at around 65 percent among likely voters.
Kerrin Leoni, polled at seven percent.
The number of those who had a favourable view of the incumbent mayor totalled 30 percent. Those with an unfavourable view, 27 percent. 14 percent of respondents had never heard of Wayne Brown and 29 percent were neutral or unsure.
Twelve percent of respondents had a favourable view of Leoni, six percent, an unfavourable view and 50 percent of respondents had never heard of her, while 32 percent remained neutral or unsure.
