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Auckland councillors have today narrowly voted to dump Mike Lee from the board of Auckland Transport and replace him with Chris Darby.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown used his casting vote to make the change after the vote was tied 9-9 and two councillors, Desley Simpson and Andy Baker, abstained.

Baker, who also sits on the AT board, said he could not bring himself to vote for either of the two candidates.

Lee and Darby voted for themselves in an often testy debate on the issue where councillor Chris Fletcher accused Brown of running a clumsy appointment process.

Chris Darby. Photo / Dean Purcell

“It feels like an ambush,” said Fletcher, herself a former council-appointed AT board member.

Brown recommended Darby replace Lee as part of a refresh of his committee structure. But whereas he has the power to set committees and appoint members, the AT board appointments are a decision for the governing body of the mayor and 20 councillors.

Simpson put forward an amendment to defer a decision for a month to consider the appointment in more detail, but this was lost.

Lee told the Herald it was clear his opposition to the sale of airport shares in Brown’s first budget was behind his removal, and Darby had been rewarded for supporting the share sale.

 “It is now clear that selling assets is a much higher priority for Wayne Brown than turning Auckland Transport around. That’s politics,” said Lee, who believes Ports of Auckland is the next council asset on the block.

Councillor Andy Baker. Photo / Herald

Since being appointed to AT, Lee has caused waves in some transport circles, challenged the status quo and opposed a costly cycleway/roading improvement project along Great North Rd.

Darby, who expressed a wish to Brown last year for a seat on the AT board, said he did not see his appointment as a reward, saying: “I’m not a trader, dealer politician.”

He paid tribute to Lee, saying he had made some massive changes in transport across Auckland, but said he was different and would be focusing on a cultural reset at AT regarding the way it deals with Aucklanders.

Darby said he was totally on board with Brown over being dictated to by Wellington and bringing low-cost technology rather than big-ticket infrastructure to achieve better transport outcomes.

In other committee changes, Brown has set up a budget committee to oversee next year’s refresh of the 10-year budget and future budgets. It will be chaired by Brown, with the fiscally dry Greg Sayers as deputy.

Councillor Wayne Walker, who also voted against the sale of airport shares, lost his job as chairman of the council-controlled organisation oversight committee.

Councillor Wayne Walker has also lost a senior role after voting against the sale of airport shares. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Walker said: “It is disappointing when you have been on something for a time, you’ve got up to speed, engaged and put forward a programme we are working on, and then boomph - not so great.”

His job has gone to Labour councillor Shane Henderson, who backed Brown’s budget and the sale of airport shares.

Henderson was delighted with his promotion, saying “No. No, no, no, nothing to do with that at all” when asked if his promotion was a reward for backing the mayor’s budget.

“I’ve already been deputy of the committee and [am] ready to rock and roll, get started on day one and take it in a really positive direction focused on civic duty, civic excitement,” he said.

Brown denied rewarding Henderson and Darby for supporting his budget, saying quite a few people who voted against his budget had kept their roles.