Celia Wade-Brown’s campaign adviser Kent Duston has made a big impact this year and last.
While he couldn’t save the old Crossways Community Centre, he’s helped set up the new one, took over as acting President of the Mt Victoria Residents Association, kept more prostitution out of the suburb with a successful challenge to the High Court against Wellington City Council’s decision to allow more lovely ladies to work at the Lovely Lilly in Mt Victoria, called for the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter to be shut, and most of all, contributed greatly to Wellington getting its first Green Mayor.
According to the Dom Post:
“Planning to topple Ms Prendergast, 57, began in earnest in March, when Ms Wade-Brown’s campaign team “began to pull the threads together”, Mr Duston says.
Crucial to success was mobilising an army of about 70 devoted volunteers who would spend the next six months giving up their Saturdays and many hours before and after work in a bid to paint Wellington City Council green.
“The huge strength of Celia’s campaign was there was so much grassroots support and in reality that translated to a large number of people who were prepared to get involved.
“The key to the whole thing was having a good, very energised and enthusiastic group of volunteers. If you look at what made it tick, that was really the heart of it.”
Campaign organisers rallied volunteers in three core areas: putting up dozens of billboards; door-knocking around the city to spread the Green gospel; and distributing leaflets at Wellington railway station to target residents on the Johnsonville line and those north of Wellington in Tawa.
There were also mass emails – one of which raised eyebrows when council staff inadvertently received electioneering material – and the campaign team tapped into the multitude of community networks Ms Wade-Brown has developed in her council career.
Mr Duston credits a strong “core image” of the new mayor displayed on billboards and leaflets as being visually important, without the need for air-brushing.
“It looked professional but it was very Celia as well. It was very tied to who she is as a person.”
All the campaign material used sustainable materials, “non- volatile ink” and recycled billboards, he says.”
Does Celia have a big job lined up for Kent?
WCC Watch 
Gee, shucks, thanks for the shout-out even if I am merely a “greenie horde” 🙂
Just a couple of points. Jessica Closson was President of the Mt Vic Residents Association when we challenged the brothel in the High Court, and she deserves the credit for the win – she did an enormous amount of work to make our case.
And in answer to the question, “Does Celia have a big job lined up for Kent”, the answer is unequivocally no. I already have a day-job that I thoroughly enjoy and have no aspirations to change.
That’s a shame. There’s nothing more important than a good Chief of Staff or the equivalent in council terms.