Another local body election is fast approaching, with nominations opening today and the voting period set from September 9 to noon on October 11. It’s my intention to stand for re-election as mayor of the Whakatāne district for a second term.

Local elections are conducted in accordance with a suite of legislation.

One of the acts declares three months ahead of polling as the pre-election period.

That kicks in on July 11 and brings into effect a bunch of rules for sitting councillors seeking re-election and for the council organisation in how it communicates.

In essence, the council can’t communicate in any way that provides, or can be perceived to provide, profile and therefore an election advantage to any sitting elected member.

When it comes to campaigning, it’s also a complete “no-no” for any council resources to be used – so that means no use of council-issued computers or phones and there are restrictions for all candidates around use of the council’s social media platforms.

There are also rules around election signage size and location, and correct authorisation of all election promotional material.

My advice for anyone considering standing is to get onto the council website and study the 2025 Candidate Information Handbook for all the details or get along to the next candidate briefing on July 11 at 5.30pm at The Comm, Whakatāne.

I’d argue that the Mayor Talk column that is published bi-weekly is very much business as usual for me.

One of the things I committed to prior to being elected in October 2022 was open and honest communications and the fortnightly column has been a channel for that.

I haven’t missed providing one in three years. However, I am erring on the side of caution (and the advice of our principal electoral officer) and suspending the column during the pre-election period.

Although there is nothing specific in the legislation that prevents the column continuing, the perception that it would give me an unfair advantage over other candidates could result in a complaint process and ultimately a judicial inquiry post-election.

Though unlikely, I had to seriously weigh up the risk and make the call.

As I am still the mayor until the final election results are declared on October 17, I will be sticking to doing what I get paid to do.

And that includes communication; I’ll just be using methods other than a column that goes under the moniker Mayor Talk.

My preferred channel of communications to the community has been this column and I appreciate the editor’s generosity in providing the space for myself and previous mayors.

The Beacon is a traditional community newspaper, and I feel it punches above its weight. It has a healthy and particularly well-read opinion section.

An electronic subscription is available, which is great. This allows you to enjoy a “green” copy and search past editions.

As someone who has spent an entire career communicating and writing mostly to other scientists, I very much enjoy my Beacon writing.

As a scientist I have published more than 100 research papers in top-notch peer-reviewed science journals. In science publications, what you put in the public domain stays in the public domain. Forever!

Peer review means that what you submit for publication in a journal is reviewed by between two and four other scientists that work in a field related to that of the submission. It is the editor who selects the reviewers who get to decide on whether or not your work is published. These reviewers are scientists with whom you have no association.

A scientist’s worth is judged by how much they publish; in what journals and how many times they are cited by others.

Therefore, it pays to get your publication right and to be scrupulously honest and objective, to interpret data in an objective manner.

Once your work is published in a journal it is there forever. Errors, mendacity, and fraud can easily be discovered and can ruin reputations.

If you have an aversion to the truth, then science is not for you.

I don’t lie, obfuscate, or play fast and loose with the truth. I don’t consider myself your typical politician.

Unlike social media, where any form of verbal diarrhoea can be posted, getting published in The Beacon requires you to go through an editor.

Aside from deciding what gets printed, the editor acts as a moderator. An editor might call for changes to your submission or use their judgment to add, excise, or alter your submission. This keeps things orderly and respectful. Not much scope for ill-conceived brain explosions.

I have always tried to make my columns directly relevant to council business. Sometimes, however, they can be high-level and delve into more general areas.

For instance, I have written on climate change, the environment, energy, the housing crisis, the banking system, mayoral leadership, democracy, and even nuclear war.

Whether specifically related to council business or not, I have always tried to make my pieces interesting and informative. I do my best in the time available to research what I write about.

While I promised to let people know what’s going on, occasionally there are things that cannot be articulated such as material with commercial implications.

There may also be times when one doesn’t want to violate confidences. The boat harbour project (now terminated) is one example of when I had to restrain my comments despite my public disdain for the viability of the project dating back to 2020.

However, because of confidentiality clauses in the council-signed agreement, tempering my opinion had to be the order of the day.

Looking into council operations from the outside, it can be tempting to think one knows what’s going on.

One opinion writer for instance seemed to think I could strike the boat harbour project with the stroke of the mayor’s pen. Wrong.

Some of my communications have been quite discrete and it may be necessary to read between the lines.

As mentioned above, people’s observations of the council are only seeing the “shop window”.

Or they are looking into the fish tank, but they can’t see behind the rocks or the weed. By the sheer nature of being an elected member, you are privy to far more information than the public can consume; even our most avid followers, I would argue.

So, for now, it’s over and out for this column.

Rest assured, it is my clear intention to be back as the regular contributor of Mayor Talk in the next triennium. I will continue to submit letters and opinion pieces as, and when I have something, as any member of the public is entitled to do, just not the regular Mayor Talk column.