Broke Beyer quits mayoral race | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

In a shock move, Georgina Beyer  has pulled out of the Masterton
mayoral contest and instead  will join the dole queue.

The world's first transsexual MP and one-time mayor of Car
terton first signalled her intention to seek Masterton's top local-body
job to the Times-Age in April and confirmed it on TV1's Close Up
programme.

She said yesterday she could barely pay her bills let alone raise
$10,000 to campaign.

Ms Beyer left her job at Michael Hill Jeweller, Masterton,
in June.

``That's left me with no income and having  expended all my
reserves for living expenses, I'm left with nothing,'' she said.

Despite putting off the decision not to stand for the mayor's job
as long as she could, she would now have to join the dole queue.
``I have a couple of weeks left to pay the rent. I'm really, really
struggling.''

As an unemployed woman, she also didn't think she had the
``moral authority'' to run against sitting mayor  Garry Daniell,  so
far the only nomination.

``I'm really disappointed because I think there was a bit of
support out there for me and if I was able to campaign
comprehensively I think I would have been able to give other
candidates a run for their money.''

She said she knew her campaign was over two weeks ago
after the unexpected death of a Taiwanese  friend who was  to
fund her campaign.

It has been a tough break from politics for Ms Beyer. 

``It's an awful feeling that the only thing you're skilled at doing is politics
and other than that arena, it's not really required anywhere else.''

She spent seven years as Mayor of Carterton and regretted
leaving. ``I should never have left local government in the first
place. I like local government very, very much. Parliament was
really an interruption.''

She feared she would have to leave Wairarapa after spending
14 years of her professional life here.

``For well-paid employment there's not a lot of it around in
Wairarapa, and I would want more than the 500 bucks a week I
was on at Michael Hill.''

Had she become mayor, she  would have aimed to boost
Masterton's economy by supporting irrigation projects and pushing  it as a retirement destination.

Mr Daniell said Ms Beyer's departure was  good news:  ``I'm
elated ... obviously she was a real threat to my nomination.''

The high-profile businessman spent $15,000 on his last election
campaign and agreed not having a job would be ``very limiting''.
But he  was  wary Ms Beyer's defection might only be a move to
gain attention before a surprise last-minute entry. 

``I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was some
kind of a ploy like that.''

Mr Daniell said he knew of others who would now run for
mayor because they had been worried over Ms Beyer's presence
dividing the vote.