The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance is calling for disciplinary action against Auckland Transport chief executive Dean Kimpton following his political comments reported in the NZ Herald this morning.

"Dean Kimpton is the poster child of what an undemocratic CCO model has led to," says Jordan Williams, a Spokesman for the Ratepayers' Alliance.

"Here we have a Mayor, clearly elected with a democratic mandate to put the CCOs back under democratic accountability, and we have a media white-anting with a PR campaign by the very CCOs being reformed. It is nothing short of disgraceful that officials think it is their role to speak to the media about a matter before democratically elected councillors.

"Professionalism and decorum once ensured public sector bosses like Kimpton knew better than to inject themselves into politics. It is, yet again, case-in-point of why local government needs to have a statutory duty of political neutrality imposed on its officials."

"If Mr Kimpton wants to be a politician he should stand for election, not undermine a Mayor with a democratic mandate to bring CCOs into line."

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