Ben Bell

Ben Bell
5th Mayor of Gore District
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 November 2022
Preceded byTracy Hicks
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Ryan Bell

(1999-05-11) 11 May 1999 (age 25)
OccupationBusiness entrepreneur

Benjamin Ryan Bell (born 11 May 1999)[1] is a New Zealand politician who is the mayor of the town of Gore in the South Island. In October 2022, Bell was elected as Gore's youngest mayor at the age of 23 years, defeating the incumbent Tracy Hicks.[2][3] In mid November, the Gore District Council rejected Bell's request to hire a personal executive assistant named Shanna Crosbie. Bell subsequently went on leave after his fellow councillors submitted a requisition requesting the removal of deputy mayor Stewart MacDonell.[4][5]

In May 2023, Bell's opponents abandoned an attempted vote of no confidence in his mayoral leadership.[6][7] Following a mediation process involving an external facilitator, Bell and his fellow councillors mended their working relationships with the Gore District Council CEO Stephen Parry in August 2023.[8]

  1. ^ Baker, Che (12 May 2023). "New Zealand's youngest mayor celebrates birthday amid calls to resign". Stuff.
  2. ^ "Gore elects youngest mayor in NZ history". Otago Daily Times. 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Longstanding Gore mayor ousted by 23yo with 8-vote lead". Radio New Zealand. 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  4. ^ Kelly, Rachael (23 November 2022). "Bell under fire at first Gore council meeting, council votes not to employ a personal assistant". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  5. ^ Kelly, Rachael (24 November 2022). "NZ's youngest mayor on leave as Gore councillors call for deputy to stand down". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  6. ^ Bayer, Kurt (16 May 2023). "Gore District Council showdown: NZ's youngest mayor Ben Bell survives; vote of no confidence shelved". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  7. ^ Brownlie, Kaysha (16 May 2023). "Mayor Ben Bell met with outpouring of support from Gore locals, New Zealand mayors". Newshub. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  8. ^ "$11k facilitation process gets Gore mayor and council staff back on speaking terms". Radio New Zealand. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.