| Mark Bell-Booth | |
|---|---|
| 26th Mayor of Palmerston North | |
| In office 2001–2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Jill White |
| Succeeded by | Heather Tanguay |
Mark Rex Bell-Booth was Mayor of Palmerston North from 2001 to 2004 for one term.[1]
Prior to becoming mayor, Bell-Booth was a Palmerston North City Councillor from 1991 to 2001. He became known through his "Save the Avenue" campaign.[2] Bell-Booth is best known for the redevelopment of The Square, which happened during his mayoral reign.[3] In the 2004 local elections, he lost the mayoralty against Heather Tanguay.[4] He made headlines when it became known that he lent his wife's car to a known gang member. His reign at the council was described by a political commentator as being more akin to that of a chief executive than a mayor.[5] He contested the Palmerston North mayoralty again in the 2010 local elections and came a distant second against incumbent Jono Naylor, with 2229 against 16717 votes.[6][7]
From 2004 to 2008, Bell-Booth was chief executive of Assetta, a software development company. Since then, he has been a director of Unlimited Realities, a designer of touchscreen software applications.[4]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jill White |
Mayor of Palmerston North 2001–2004 |
Succeeded by Heather Tanguay |