Nelson City Councilor Brian McGurk will not run for re-election this year.
After three terms, Nelson City Councilman Brian McGurk says it’s time to step aside.
On Monday morning, McGurk confirmed he would not seek reelection to the council in October, saying local politics was never a “long-term career option”.
“When I came on the board in 2013, I thought I would serve two or maybe three terms, make my contribution and then step aside to give others the same opportunity. I feel this is the right time.”
McGurk is the fifth member of the 13-member council to announce they will step down this year, after mayor Rachel Reesecrazy mayor Judene Edgar and councilors Gaile Noonan and Kate Fulton also announcing that they would not seek re-election.
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McGurk said being a councilor was “an immensely rewarding experience” that required a “considerable time commitment”.
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Councilor Brian McGurk at a Nelson City Council meeting. He served on the council for three terms.
He considered the work on the Regional Council and environmental responsibilities as one of his accomplishments on the Council, along with making a decision on the Nelson Future Access and Rocks Road upgrade, and implementing the Joint Regional Transport Plan.
“We are well prepared to take a big step forward in public transport by mid-2023, with more to come with active and safer transport networks,” he said.
He supported Three Waters reforms and said Nelson needed a long-term approach to water infrastructure.
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Local government minister Nanaia Mahuta says the government will create four new public water entities, with local councils taking non-financial shares. Video first published on April 29, 2022.
“Knowing what will happen in the coming decades with the required renewals and upgrades plus increasing regulation, environmental and health standards, future taxpayers will face an escalating financial burden. That part has been overlooked in the debate.”
Housing was also a major issue for the city, he said.
He had enjoyed the debates in the room and with the councillors, he said.
“My preference was to calm down and work with others to achieve positive results.”
He planned to spend more time traveling abroad, with a failed plan to see a grandchild born in the United States before the lockdown, and another soon.
The nominations for local agency candidates open Friday and close on August 12.