Card fills early in race for mayoralty

Jamie Morton & Don Farmer | 20th March 2010

All sitting members of the Masterton District Council look set to contest their seats come October's local body elections, with three so far eyeing the top spot.
Mayor Garry Daniell, David Holmes and Jeff Workman have confirmed they will be running for mayor, while Chris Peterson has strongly hinted he will join the race.
Lyn Patterson, Brent Goodwin, Edwin Perry, Judith Callaghan, Jonathan Hooker and Deputy Mayor Jane Terpstra have either confirmed or stated it is highly likely they will seek another term on the council, while veteran councillor Roddy McKenzie remains undecided.
Mr Workman, who is battling terminal cancer, yesterday said he would ''love to contest the mayoralty _ but I guess my health will dictate whether I stand''.
Mr Peterson said he would definitely stand again for the council, ''but it's more of an open question as to whether I will stand for mayor''.
Mrs Terpstra said she had not completely made up her mind: ''I wouldn't say I'll definitely be standing, but it's highly likely.''
Mr Hooker ruled out any possibility of having another crack at the mayoralty.
''If I was going to end up with a fulltime job, I wouldn't be standing for council again, but that's not looking likely, so yes, I'll be standing again _ God willing,'' he said.
Mrs Patterson is also resolute she will not contest the mayoralty.
She wanted to stay on to see through the completion of the Homebush wastewater plant upgrade, the redevelopment of Mawley Park, work on the council's audit committee and shared services committee with the neighbouring councils, and the forming of a Wairarapa economic development agency.
Mr McKen- zie said he had not made up his mind as he had more pressing issues to think about.
Meanwhile, a woman who has taken care of coastal matters for the South Wairarapa District Council for much of the last 15 years is not seeking re-election at this year's local body elections, creating a vacancy for a Martinborough ward councillor.
Dianne Phelps, who lives near Cape Palliser, has decided not to seek re-election because she has ''things to do and places to go''.
Mrs Phelps shares business interests with her fisherman husband Wayne and has been on the council for six years this time round, having previously been a councillor for a single term and then having a six-year break from local politics.
Mrs Phelps is recognised as the councillor with the best knowledge of coastal matters and concerns, and has generally represented the views of coastal dwellers at the council table.
Confirming she was not standing again, Mrs Phelps said she realised the need to have someone with coastal matters at heart on the council and for this reason had been ''whispering in a few ears'' seeking someone with like interests who would be prepared to put their name forward.
South Wairarapa Mayor Adrienne Staples is again to seek the mayoralty and Martinborough representative Max Stevens will be putting his name forward again as a ward councillor.
Mr Stevens is in some ways the veteran councillor, having served under all three mayors _ John Garrity, John Read and Mrs Staples _ since the inception of the South Wairarapa District Council in 1989.
He was deputy mayor to Mr Garrity during the second term of Mr Garrity's mayoralty.
Mr Stevens said he wouldn't be contesting the mayoralty as he was ''quite happy to be in the engine room''.
The other Martinborough councillor, Julie Riddell, has not yet given thought to whether she will stand again.
Mrs Riddell is a first-term councillor and said she would turn her thoughts to the election a little later in the year and decide at that time whether she would again be a candidate.
Featherston councillors Dean Davies, Solitaire Robertson and Porky Sexton are planning to again be on the ballot paper.
Mr Davies and Ms Robertson are first-term councillors, and its youngest members, and have no mayoral aspirations.
Mr Sexton is completing his third term and said he wanted to remain on the council to complete unfinished business.
Likewise in Greytown, all three ward councillors are again seeking re-election.
Veteran Mike Gray has served five terms, broken only when he unsuccessfully sought the mayoralty, and is recognised as the legislative expert on the council.
Deputy Mayor Viv Napier is a fourth term councillor and is happy to seek a spot on the council under the tutelage of Mrs Staples as mayor.
First-term Greytown councillor Margaret Craig is also putting her name forward again.