Ben Bell is New Zealand's youngest mayor
At 23, Ben Bell has won the Gore District mayoralty race and has become New Zealand's youngest mayor.
www.stuff.co.nz
Rachael Kelly 19:38, Oct 13 2022
*video from another source
Ben Bell reacts after being elected as New Zealand's youngest mayor. He will lead the Gore District.
Ben Bell has become New Zealand’s youngest mayor, winning a tight race in the Gore District from incumbent Tracy Hicks.
“Woo hoo! I can’t believe it! I’m so excited,’’ Bell, 23, said.
“I won by eight votes,’’ he confirmed.
The race for the mayoralty came down to just 67 special votes, and final results were delayed until Thursday for them to be authenticated by the Electoral Commission and counted.
The final votes were Bell 2371 and Hicks 2363.
Bell said it was hard to sum up how he felt when he heard the results at 4pm.
“I’m really happy, it’s been a long wait.”
“I am extremely humbled to be elected Mayor of Gore, a vibrant district with so much to offer its locals and those who visit here. I’m thankful to those who made the time and effort to get to know myself and my team throughout our campaign and especially grateful for everyone who voted for me”.
He had spoken to each of the councillors who would be around the table and would spend more time getting to know them in the next two weeks before the first council meeting.
KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF
New Gore District mayor Ben Bell says he won by eight votes.
While he had no experience as a councillor he had worked for a regional council and understood how they worked.
“It’s about getting back to basics in Gore. There’s been a lot of spending that we have to have a look at.”
He was yet to hear from Hicks, but had received a congratulatory call from Southland MP Joseph Mooney.
Hicks, in a statement released by the council, thanks people who have supported him in the past year.
“...unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.”
He wished Bell all the very best for the future – “he has a fantastic community to work with”.
Hick will seek advice before deciding whether to ask for a recount.
On Sunday, preliminary results showed Bell had 2346 votes and Hicks 13 behind on 2333.
Who is Ben Bell?
- He’s a former Wellingtonian of the Year (youth category) winner in 2016
- He runs his own software business Random42 Ltd
- Moved to Gore about 18 months ago. Prior to that he mainly lived in the North Island.
- In 2016, he gave a Ted Talk on the topic of “Cherish, don’t condemn social media”.
- While he's been waiting on special votes to be counted he’s been fielding phone calls and taking time out on his X-Box.
RACHAEL KELLY/STUFF
Ben Bell outside the Gore District Council offices on Thursday, the day he was announced as the new mayor.
When Bell first announced he was running for the mayoralty, the former Wellingtonian of the Year (youth category), said he believed it was time to give Gore ‘’a voice’’.
“The incumbent [mayor Tracy Hicks] has been there a long time and I believe it's time for something new and fresh. I can bring youth to the table and encourage them to vote, I have an interest in politics and think that Gore has a lot to offer. The incumbent hasn’t done a bad job, but he’s been there a long time,’’ he said back in August.
The current council had done a lot of spending in recent times, but not necessarily in the right places, he said.
Bell, who ran on the Team Hokonui ticket, will join fellow team members Joe Stringer and Robert McKenzie at the new council’s first meeting on October 25.
Hicks was seeking his seventh term as Gore district mayor.
On Sunday, the Gore District Council said voter turnout in the district was strong, with 52.65% turnout.
