Clark willing to ‘carry us through’ Invercargill’s polarising deputy mayor says he would put his hand up to fill in as interim mayor if Sir Tim Shadbolt does not make it through this term. Nobby Clark opens up to Local Democracy Reporting’s Matthew Rosenberg about strained relationships at council, lessons learned through Buddhism and how his star sign affects his relationships.

• Published date: 01 July 2021
• Publication title: Southland Express

The deputy mayor of Invercargill, who’s developed a reputation as an abrasive character around the council table, says he’s been wearing one most of his life.

‘‘Contrary to common belief, I’m quite insular. I’m quite an introvert in lots of ways, even though I portray the opposite.’’

A code of conduct breach at the council over an accusation levelled at the chief executive, a widely publicised falling out with Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt who labelled him ‘‘Brutus’’, and mixed feedback in an independent review which described him as ‘‘polarising’’.

These are just some of the episodes that have clouded the 69-year-old’s first term in council following 2019 election success.

But for former mailman Clark, there are no regrets swapping the open roads of his rural delivery run for the inner-city hustle of council chambers.

‘‘I’m totally fearless now. Possibly losing my partner would be the biggest thing I’d be nervous about. I used to have a fear of heights.’’

Clark is not only Sir Tim’s deputy. In many ways, he’s his antithesis.

He talks fast, not stopping to draw breath. Sir Tim’s background was rooted in activism and commune-founding, Clark describes his as ‘‘authoritarian’’.

And while Sir Tim was protesting the Vietnam War in the 1970s, Clark was on the ground with the armed forces — albeit as a medic.

The reluctant deputy mayor (Clark originally turned down the offer) believes he was selected by Sir Tim because he was seen as someone who could ‘‘fire a few bullets’’ and push issues.

‘‘I don’t care if other councillors like me or not. They can dislike me as much as they want, my job is to represent ratepayers,’’ he says.

But popular he seems to be. When he claimed his seat at the last election, he did so with the most votes out of any councillor, transitioning from external to internal dissident overnight.

Perched on a comfy chair in his Otatara home on the outskirts of Invercargill, he drops the mask on how the past two years have been.

‘‘Stressed to the max, I am at times.

‘‘Often you get so bloody stressed that at the end of the day all you want to do is sit in a chair and do nothing, and watch some idiot s... on TV that you don’t actually want to watch, but it winds you down.’’

Clark had previously been a vocal critic of the council through his role as the spokesman of the Invercargill Ratepayers Advocacy Group, so he wasn’t expecting a smooth run upon election.

But between the widely publicised rift with Sir Tim and frustration at the delayed...