Mayor Lyn Patterson with granddaughters Dara [left] and Nina White. PHOTO/ELI HILL

ELI HILL

eli.hill@age.co.nz

Lyn Patterson is mayor once more and she’s anticipating a busy three years ahead.

Now on her third term, Patterson received 4814 votes [progress results], well ahead of her competition.

The mayor was having lunch with her family when she received the call telling her she’d been elected.

“We had a big celebration last night. Family and friends were all here and it was great that all my siblings were able to join me. It was the end of a great day.

“I’m just really rapt and excited for the next three years. There’s plenty of work to be done. We’ve had a 50 per cent turnover of councillors so it’s always good to get in and build a new team.”

Patterson had already congratulated her fellow mayors Alex Beijen and Greg Lang, and looked forward to working with them.

She also met with her new council last night when they received their welcome pack.

“We already know our big issues: water resilience, housing’s huge for us, what we are going to do as a community in terms of climate change and our response to that.

“The CBD redevelopment and the Town Hall are big items we’re going to have to deal with quite quickly.”

With half of the councillors not having been on the council last term she’ll be leading a relatively fresh team.

Tina Nixon, who ran a campaign that garnered national media coverage, was in second place in the mayoral race with 2134 votes.

Nixon, who is on the board of Destination Wairarapa as Carterton’s representative and holds a governance role at Masterton A&P, was elected for her first term as a councillor.

Fellow newcomers include Wairarapa’s More FM breakfast show host Brent Gare, Lakeview principal Tim Nelson and community development advocate Sandy Ryan.

Rural advocate David Holmes has made his return to the council, after running for Greater Wellington Regional Council last election but missing out on the seat.

Bex Johnson, who was also the highest polling councillor, will return to the table along with Frazer Mailman, Gary Caffell, Graham McClymont, and Chris Petersen.

Hugely experienced six-term councillor Jonathan Hooker missed out on being re-elected.

Although disappointed Hooker said that if he’d made it onto the council this term it would have been his last anyway, and he had faith that new doors would open.

“With the range of responsibilities council has that would be my one regret, that I was not able to pass on the portfolios to the next generation of councillors.”

Deborah Davidson also missed out on being re-elected.

Ronald Karaitiana received 3000 votes, 69 votes below Chris Peterson [progress results]. It will be Thursday at the earliest that the final result including special votes will be declared.