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Wellington City Councilor Jenny Condie says her claims against Mayor Andy Foster are a “serious matter” and has every faith in the council chief’s ability to investigate them.
Condie launched an explosive indictment ahead of Wednesday’s Wellington City Council meeting, where the sale and lease of council land in Shelly Bay was agreed. Her accusations amounted to Foster trying to use deception when he called her into a meeting a few hours earlier.
Condie and Foster did not speak about the allegations.
“The matter is currently pending and therefore he is not in a position to respond,” Foster’s office said Friday.
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However, Condie issued a tweet saying his complaint was a “serious matter”, that he was going through a formal process. He did not want to comment further while this was happening.
“I have full confidence in him [Wellington City Council] the CEO’s ability to resolve this matter in a professional and impartial manner. “
But an email, obtained by Stuff, from Deputy Mayor Sarah Free to all councilors at 2.23pm on Friday, told Condie: “I don’t agree with you doing this Jenny, and I’m not sure what you think it is. point”.
Condie alleged, in the complaint filed at Wednesday’s board meeting, that Foster sent her a text message at 11:27 am Wednesday, two hours before the meeting.
“We also spoke on the phone and he asked me again to come by his office and said he had something to show me. I immediately went to see him, ”Condie said in the complaint.
She said that Foster had “hinted” to have information, previously undisclosed, and she believed this was what she wanted to share. This information, he allegedly told her, was significant and “I believed it would change my point of view on Shelly Bay Rd.”
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Serious accusations have been made against Wellington Mayor Andy Foster, who allegedly used deception to convince a councilman.
The narrowness of Shelly Bay Rd, the only route to the Miramar Peninsula site, and its ability to handle the increased traffic flow that a development would cause, has been a major sticking point for the development led by Ian Cassels.
Condie said that Foster had told her that he did not have permission to share the information he had with her.
“When I read those notes, they contained potentially defamatory allegations about the behavior of [a former staff member]”Said the complaint.
Monique Ford / Stuff
Councilwoman Jenny Condie said the allegations against Foster were serious.
“These accusations are similar to those that were heard in Superior Court in 2018 and were dismissed. I think it is extremely unwise for the mayor to unfairly tarnish the professional integrity and probity of a former council official.
“Mayor Foster’s actions were inappropriate in my opinion, and I take this opportunity to request that his actions be investigated.
“I think I’m not the only councilman Mayor Foster has shown this information to.”
She alleged that she asked Foster if he would make the notes available to the public and to all councilors, but he indicated that he would not.
“I did not agree with him during the meeting because I considered this to be inappropriate. This is particularly true given the overriding public interest in having all councilors make decisions based on them. [information]. “
