The days could be numbered for the Thames Coromandel District mayor chairing meetings in person.
The council is considering a vaccine mandate for staff and elected members in order to work on-site and if it goes for it, Sandra Goudie would need to work from home.
Goudie opposes vaccine mandates and has rejected the Pfizer vaccine, saying she will wait for the Novavax jab, which is not yet available in New Zealand and has not yet been approved by MedSafe.
Thames-Coromandel standing orders allow for members to attend by electronic means. The decision is made by the chair of meetings, which is Mayor Sandra Goudie, law expert Professor Andrew Geddis told Checkpoint.
“Sandra Goudie can ask Sandra Goudie whether she can electronically attend council meetings, and I suspect Sandra Goudie would tell Sandra Goudie that’s fine.”
Councillor Gary Gotlieb has filed a code of conduct complaint, after Goudie allegedly spoke at an anti-vaccination meeting in Coromandel.
He told Checkpoint Mayor Goudie's attitude on Covid and vaccination has been "nothing short of disgraceful".
Professor Geddis told Checkpoint the result of a breach of the code of conduct would most likely be a “stern telling off”.
He said you wouldn’t want councillors to be able to do more than that though.
“The idea that other councillors could remove a mayor or any other elected official, because they're upset at what they're saying, does run in the face of democracy.
“People did elect her, and whether other elected members, should they be able to get rid of her? That would be problematic, I think.”
