Marcus Lush throws hat in ring for Invercargill City Council seat

Newstalk announcer ZB Marcus Lush is vying for a spot on Invercargill City Hall.

He submitted his application minutes before the deadline closed on Tuesday.

It comes after former Deputy Mayor Toni Biddle announced her resignation from the council in October.

Lush said he saw the opportunity and thought it would be a good one.

“I have given this decision a lot of thought. I am excited about the campaign and the learning curve ahead if I am elected.”

The 55-year-old has lived in the South for 18 years and said his passion lies in developing youth spaces and affordable housing.

“I look at things like Margaret Mahy’s playground in Christchurch and I think it’s time we updated some of our playgrounds here.”

Lush said he will continue his national program at Newstalk ZB Marcus Lush Nights if elected.

“I made this decision with the approval of my bosses. I’m certainly not running for mayor because I already have a full-time job.

“However, during the campaign, obviously I will have to be impartial to avoid the subject entirely.”

There are two other confirmed candidates in the race for the seat, Carl Heenan and David Pottinger.

The council has been riddled with controversy of late.

Richard Thomson conducted a governance review after the Department of Homeland Affairs (DIA) launched an investigation in August in response to concerns raised about the performance of the mayor and councilors.

Thomson found that there was a clear consensus that the mayor was striving to fulfill important mayor functions, such as providing a proper link between government (councilors) and management (senior staff), which would normally be a key role of a mayor.