A Wellington City Council official has apologised, after he slammed a council bylaw as "stupid and wasteful" on Facebook this morning.
The council plans to consult with the public about a bylaw to ban people from dropping cigarette butts, even though the butts already fall within the broader definition of litter.
The bylaw is designed to stop people dropping cigarette butts, but Kaine Thompson, who is the chief of staff to council chief executive Kevin Lavery, has slammed the proposal.
In a Facebook post, Thompson said the proposal was "stupid and wasteful". He acknowledged that he wasn't supposed to criticise the council, but said "Fk it, this is too much".
Mr Thompson said the bylaw was "SO OFFENSIVE to the principles of the rule of law and what makes good regulation. Any wonder people think we are stupid and wasteful".
He said that the council would have no way to enforce the bylaw, as it would be expensive and "logistically impossible". He said it was only intended so send a signal and because of this, it was a waste of time.
Mr Thompson told Newshub that he was sorry for the comments, and had apologised to his colleagues and Mayor Justin Lester.
"My comments this morning weren't appropriate, and I've apologised to the mayor and chief executive for any embarrassment I've caused them.
Mr Thompson said the post was in "poor judgement" and "reflects poorly on me and my colleagues".
He said it was not appropriate for him to comment any further on the issue.
Newshub.
