Lydia Gliddon announces Selwyn mayoralty bid
Gliddon, who represents the Malvern Ward, said going up against Broughton, who is aiming for a record-equalling fourth term, will be a challenge.
It will be first time Broughton will have a sitting councillor challenging him since he first became mayor in 2016.
Regardless of the outcome, the council table will see new faces. Four sitting councillors are not standing again and the Ellesmere and Malvern wards structure will change from two seats to one each.
There will also be two councillors at-large to vote for.
Gliddon is undecided whether she will also run for her current Malvern Ward seat alongside the mayoral bid.
One of the major issues for voters is high rates rises, with double-digit increases expected over the next three years.
The average rates will rise by more than 42% – with 14.9% this year and, pending any change due to the establishment of a water services council-controlled organisation, 14.2% in 2025/26, and then 13.3% forecasted for 2026/27.
Gliddon, a first-term councillor, voted in favour of the 2024-34 Long Term Plan which set out the rates rises.
She was expecting to be able to review the upcoming rise for 2025/26 as part of an annual plan. But she disagreed with the council's decision to not consult over this year's annual plan and rates rise.
'In my mind, it's business as usual . . . I still think it's really important for the community to have a say in where their money goes.'
Despite this, she claimed the council has ignored residents views at times, citing the decision to establish a WSCCO, which 86.1% of the 423 public submissions did not want and Gliddon voted against.
'What is the point in going out for consultation if it's just going to be taken as lip service.
'You can understand why there is so much apathy towards the council when you do things like that,' Gliddon said.
She said if elected, her focus will be on reducing rates rises and doing the basics well.
Gliddon cited the Waikirikiri Alpine to Ocean Trail, a cycleway connecting Arthur's Pass to Lake Ellesmere, which is estimated to cost up to $47.8m as one example of a project that should be reconsidered.
Gliddon said the council should not be putting time and money into the project.
She also wants to go through the council's budgets 'line by line' to find savings.
Gliddon, who is running as an independent, said her personal political views lean towards the centre right, but on council she is apolitical.
Gliddon, her husband Matt, and daughter Hazel live on a small block of land at Russells Flat near Sheffield.
Before becoming a councillor, Gliddon owned the Fat Beagle cafe in Darfield for five years.
She took about an eight month break between selling the cafe and being elected to council in 2022. Gliddon said, over the last year, her frustration with the council has grown.
She said she has a lack of trust in some decisions and the council's direction.
'I feel really sad to say this, but I feel I've lost a bit of trust, and I don't think that's a good sign.
'I don't feel okay about where we are going and if I don't feel okay, I can tell you that the community doesn't feel okay,' Gliddon said.
She spent the first year of her term as councillor learning and understanding processes.
'The first 12 months, you are a bit of a deer in headlights . . . and I think it's over the past year and a half that I've got a good grip on what's happening.'
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