Buller warhorse, 72, seeks to win back mayoralty

Former long-serving Buller mayor Pat O’Dea is on the comeback trail, running again for the top job he lost six years ago.
Although he turns 72 next month, Mr O’Dea said the people voted for someone to head a large business, “not climb Mount Everest”.
“And my experience and knowledge should stand me in good stead.”
Mr O’Dea was ousted in 2004 by Martin Sawyers, who subsequently left Westport for Wellington.
Last election, Westport baker and businessman Pat McManus beat Mr O’Dea to the mayoralty by about 400 votes.

His decision to stand means that at this stage only Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn’s position will be uncontested on the West Coast.
In Westland, Mayor Maureen Pugh faces a challenge from electrician and former councillor Peter Davidson.
Mr O’Dea said today he wanted to grapple with “unsustainable” levels of council expenditure.
Ambitious plans lead by Mr Sawyers in a bid to rejuvenate Westport, have seen the opening of a new swimming pool and sports complex, theatre, and there are now plans to shift the Coaltown Museum.
However, part of that cost has fallen on ratepayers.
Mr O’Dea said Buller rates were “shocking” and he thought the council’s debt levels were the highest in its history.
“Servicing that will be ongoing, we need to find ways to curb it.”
He also thought the Buller council-lors had their own agendas, and were not serving the public.
“They are not open and transparent.”
Mr O’Dea is not the oldest mayoral candidate.
In Christchurch, Jim Anderton is 72. Former North Shore mayor George Gair was 71 when he stepped down in 1998, before going on to graduate at the age of 83 with a masters degree in philosophy — and America’s oldest Mayor, Dorothy Geeben, died this
year just shy of her 103rd birthday.