Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson has reshuffled the Council’s top roles, but councillor Clint Baddeley continues as the Strategy & Finance chairmanship, often described as the most influential position on the Waikato Council.
Mr Sanson and councillors were sworn in on Tuesday in Ngaruawahia. The mayor outlined his vision for the district over the next three years of big growth in the north of the District.
This year, the mayors have new powers of direct appointment.While mayors do have new powers of appointment, Mayor Sanson choose not to use these new mayoral powers to make the appointment of Cr Dynes Fulton as Deputy Mayor and of other councillors to newly formed committees. Instead he sought and received the support of his Council for these appointments at yesterday’s meeting. The council committees were adjusted to be more in line with the CEO’s organisation.
Mr Fulton will also be chair of the Policy & Regulatory committee and councillor Shelley Lynch will heads the Discretionary & Funding committee. Tamahere’s Wally Hayes will chair of the big infrastructure committee, which takes over from the now defunct Roading & Transport and Water & Facilities committees.
Mayoral contender Noel Smith is the big loser in the reshuffle, failing to pick up a chair.