Former Hamilton councillor Mark Donovan. Photo: Supplied / LinkedIn
Former Hamilton councillor Mark Donovan, who quit last month after taking on a full-time job late last year, said he was never a controversial character.
"Like I say, I'm the most vanilla councillor out there. I'm not controversial."
Donovan resigned on 5 March, effective immediately, after taking on the role of national sales manager for packaging firm Tetra Pak in October.
At the time, Donovan told RNZ that the new role would not affect his ability to be a councillor.
On Thursday, Hamilton City Council announced a reshuffle of its committees to cover the gap left by the East ward councillor, who was chairperson of three committees including Regulatory and Hearings.
As chairperson, Donovan earned just under $100,000 a year.
He entered council after winning a by-election in 2021 and was re-elected in the 2022 local government elections.
Donovan told RNZ that when he took the job with Tetra Pak he thought he would be able to juggle both roles but personal circumstances and the demands of the job made that impossible.
He said he delayed his resignation until this year so as not to trigger a by-election because of the cost to ratepayers.
The resignation did not automatically trigger a by-election because it fell within 12 months of the local government elections, which will take place in October this year.
Yesterday the council announced that instead of holding a by-election it would instead reshuffle Donovan's roles, which also included chairing the Traffic, Speed Limit and Road Closure Hearings Panel, the Dog Control Hearings Panel and he was deputy chair of the Economic Development Committee.
A former businessman who has a passion for surfing, Donovan said his most enjoyable role on the council was as Sports Ambassador to the city.
Agenda meeting minutes show after Donovan took on the full-time job, which elected members are allowed to do, his meeting attendance rate dropped.
There were 10 formal meetings from 7 November to 12 December of which Donovan was absent from four, including from one of the committees he chaired, and was marked as partially attending three because he left early.
In February, he attended the first full council meeting of the year by Zoom but left after two hours and 35 minutes. The meeting went on for a further four hours and 42 minutes.
Later that month he attended the Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee, again by Zoom, leaving after 25 minutes.
The 54-year-old told RNZ he thought he had attended more and he had actually joined a new committee.
He said he was pleased to have been on council but it was different to what he expected as a former businessman.
Donovan's father started Donovan's Chocolates in Hamilton in 1991 and he and his brother took it over in 2004.
It is now owned by Prolife Foods.
He told Facebook supporters that it had been an honour to serve the city.
"At times the council chambers have felt like a cricket pitch... For now, I'll put the bat down and the pads away and encourage the next generation of business owners to step up to the pitch."
In a 5 March statement, Donovan said Hamilton had been his home for 30 years and he remained committed to its well-being.
He told RNZ he would encourage more people to run for council, especially those with business acumen.
An RNZ Official Information Act request last year showed in 2023 Donovan cost ratepayers $5237 in expenses including $3051 for training in "financial understanding", $1024 in airfares, $255 for mileage and $179 in meals and drinks.
When asked about the cost Donovan told RNZ that professional development was standard practice in any organisation.
Hamilton City Council said it had decided not to fill the vacancy left by his departure, instead reassigning roles among councillors.
The council appointed Maria Huata as the new deputy chair of the Economic Development Committee, Louise Hutt as the chairperson of the Regulatory and Hearings Committee, and Emma Pike as chairperson of two hearings panels - Traffic, Speed Limit and Road Closure, and Dog Control.
Additionally, Hutt would join the Strategic Risk and Assurance Committee.
The resignation placed a higher workload on the remaining councillors, however, councillors receive additional compensation for any extra responsibilities assigned to them.
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