Copyright times
Damian Light loved serving as chairperson of the Howick Local Board during its previous term, and as he’s been re-elected to the board at this year’s local elections, he’s keen to stay in the role if given the chance. He topped the voting in the board’s Botany subdivision, with 3,865 votes, ahead of runner-up and fellow incumbent board member Mike Turinsky, on 3,760. While Light succeeded in his campaign to stay on the board, he was unsuccessful in his effort to win a seat on Auckland Council’s governing body in the Howick ward. He finished fourth, behind the winners Bo Burns and Maurice Williamson, and the third-placed candidate, Paul Young. The Times spoke to Light the day after the early preliminary voting results in the local elections had been released. He said he’s disappointed to not be elected to the council, “but having said that I’m excited for Bo”. “She worked really hard and campaigned well. She did well, and obviously Maurice returning is not a surprise. “But I’m pleased to be back on the board. I’ve only been on three years and only had one term. “I’m pleased with what we’ve done, but there’s so much more to do, especially in Flat Bush. “We’ve got the [temporary] library opening [at the Ormiston Town Centre] in January and we’ve got facilities we have to build. “So while I’m disappointed to not get onto council, it’s not like local boards are going to be boring or without its challenges, so I’m pretty happy with that.” The Times asked if he sees the support he received from voters in the Botany subdivision as an endorsement of his performance as board chair, or for the work of the board overall. “The board is a funny role,” he says. “I think it’s a bit different to council as it’s very much a team effort. “It’s been great being the chair, and I’m pleased with how it’s gone, and I think we’ve done a really good job. “Part of it is the chair helps facilitate it, but we make decision as a board and the staff, particularly at local board level, they’ve been really good. “They’ve been really helpful and have given us some good advice so we can make good decisions and do some stuff that would seemingly have been impossible. “Like finding the money to open that temporary library in Flat Bush was impossible. “It was $487,000 we had to find, with no extra money coming in, but we did it because we were determined to do so and we knew it was the right thing to do. “So a bit of both. An endorsement of the work the board has done, but I think also hopefully the public thinks I did a good job and they want me to go back there and keep at it.” Light says the challenges faced by the Botany subdivision relate primarily to infrastructure facilities. “There’s some particularly bad playgrounds in Botany. Transport is going to be a major one for us with the Eastern Busway coming, which is great, over the next couple of years. “It’s going to be really disruptive. We’ve seen that for Pakuranga and it’s going to hit Botany. “We have to make sure we get it right and how we tie it in and how we connect it and what it’s going to do to the town centre. “Also, poor old Burswood. They’ve had a lot of disruption [due to the busway construction]. “The houses there have been demolished now, so that’s done. Burswood in particular has had quite a battering over the last couple of years with the busway.” Light says he’s loved serving as the board’s chairperson for the last three years. “It’s been fantastic and really challenging. It’s been a great couple of years and they’ve flown by. “I’ve really enjoyed facilitating the team. When we’ve worked together and focused on things, and we don’t always agree on it and that’s fine, but I quite like it when we have a robust debate and discuss the issues. “I think we’ve got better at that over the past couple of years. We’ve had our rough moments, but I think we did quite a good job. “We can disagree on things and fight for our local communities, but ultimately make a decision as a team and move on. “Would I be interested in the role again? Yes, I would. It’s probably a little early because we still have to wait for the final result, but then those kind of conversations will start happening. “That decision gets made at the inaugural meeting on October 30. We get sworn in as members of the board and then that’s one of the first decisions we have to make – who’s going to be chair and deputy.” He thanks the voters who supported him in the Botany subdivision in year’s local elections, and to his campaign team. “I’m very grateful, but even those who voted for me for council. It’s humbling every time I think of it that people have given me their vote. “While I didn’t win or get to the top, it’s very much a team effort. My name is on the ballot and my face is on the billboards, but there’s a whole bunch of volunteers and other people on my team working behind the scenes, and family and other local residents. “All their efforts, despite the outcome and what happened, it’s much appreciated.”
