Brown 'not a team player' - deputy mayor

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has not built a team around him, deputy mayor Penny Hulse says.

Outgoing Auckland Mayor Len Brown is 'not a team player', his deputy says.

Brown announced on Sunday that he would not take another tilt at the Auckland leadership, conceding revelations over his extramarital affair had affected his re-election chances.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse (left) says Mayor Len Brown (centre) did not spend enough time around the table with his troops.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says councillors had told Brown some time ago not to contest the 2016 election.

'Some of us had to gird our loins several months ago and have a very difficult conversation with him about the fact that standing again for him was not an option,' she said.

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Announcing his final decision on a Sunday morning without consulting anyone first was typical of his leadership style, she said.

'I thought we should have at least been accorded the respect to have been brought round the table to talk about how he was going to make that announcement.

'Len's just not a team player,' Hulse said.

'That's where the energy has drained out over the last couple of years around the council table.

'For those of us who've held things together it's been pretty exhausting really.

'A good leader needs to spend as much time with his troops around the table and talking about things in detail as he does out the front chairing meetings and leading.'

Brown had not necessarily done a good job of that, she said.

However Hulse praised Brown's endless enthusiasm and passion for Auckland, particulary in the first term of the new Super City.

'I was worried that we might end up with a mayor who lost sight of the importance of community in a big amalgamation like this,' she said.

'For better or worse he's always been a boy from the south and his commitment to the community has been unwavering.'

She also saluted his bravery in pushing through key projects such as the City Rail Link from downtown Auckland to Mt Eden.

'He deserves that to be his legacy.

'We all look fondly at the statue of Robbie (former Mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson) as we walk to the Town Hall and everyone says 'if only we'd done what Robbie said', well Len's kind of done that and he absolutely deserves to be remembered for that.'

Hulse said she had 'certainly given some thought' to contesting the mayoralty herself, but she was enjoying her role as deputy managing major projects such as the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan.

'I don't know whether as mayor you get to deal with things in such a hands on way.'

On the subject of Labour MP Phil Goff's expected bid for the mayoralty she said she hoped he would be focused on what's good for Auckland, rather than politics.

'The last thing we need is the long hand of Wellington running things in Auckland.'

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