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He has refused to apologize for what an investigator found to be intimidating behavior at a July board meeting, deciding instead to resign from both the Otago Museum Board of Trustees and the Dunedin district licensing committee.
Cr Vandervis had faced being stripped of those roles if he did not deliver the apologies demanded by the city council after councilors confirmed yesterday that he had violated the code of conduct.
“I have considered the resolution of the council and have decided that I cannot conscientiously deliver the apology that was insisted on as it would be dishonest and insincere,” Cr Vandervis said in a statement on social media.
“I am disappointed that this means that I must resign from the positions for which I have volunteered as an advisor to the Otago Museum Trust and Dunedin Licensing Committee.
“I have enjoyed the contribution I have made to each organization and I hope that the councilor who succeeds me can contribute as I have in the interests of those organizations and the Dunedin City taxpayers.
“I will not comment further on this matter.”
Cr Vandervis’s decision to step aside from the roles came after an investigation into his conduct following a council meeting on July 28.
She screamed and pointed a finger at the face of Deputy Mayor Christine Garey when he confronted her about her decision on a point of order.
On Tuesday, councilors asked him to either unreservedly apologize before November 3 or have his membership on the museum’s board and licensing committee revoked.
He had previously apologized for “loudness”, but not for intimidation or assault.
Two councilors had called that apology “weak” and “pathetic.”
Councilors also disagreed with what they described as a pattern of behavior by Cr Vandervis.
The Dunedin City Council has kept a substantial file on Cr Vandervis, listing a number of incidents that turned heated.
Cr Vandervis took matters into his own hands today, choosing to step down from the roles, rather than offer an apology deemed acceptable by councilors.
The counselors had come together to ask Cr Vandervis to control his temper and it was suggested that he enroll in an anger management course.
