John Palino withdraws from Auckland mayoral race

Monday, 12 August 2019

Three time contender John Palino has unexpectedly withdrawn from the Auckland mayoral race.

​Palino announced his withdrawal during a mayoral debate in Newmarket.

He told the audience his best chance of effecting change was to withdraw and back John Tamihere.

Palino said he would stand for council in the Franklin ward, where the current deputy mayor Bill Cashmore was elected unopposed in 2016.

**READ MORE:

* Meet the Candidates: Ever-optimistic John Palino on why he still wants to be Auckland Mayor

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* 'I would love to': John Palino weighing up another tilt at Auckland mayoralty**

Palino has run for mayor twice before, in 2013 and 2016. He came closest in 2013, securing more than 100,000 votes but still finishing a distant second to Len Brown.

In 2016 he came fourth behind Vic Crone and Chlöe Swarbrick.

The American-born Aucklander is a restauranteur and real estate agent. 

The mayoral hopeful was once accused of being behind a plot to bring down Len Brown by revealing his two-year extra-marital affair with council adviser Bevan Chuang just after the 2013 election.

Palino insisted he played no part in breaking the story about the affair. 

Chuang claimed to have been romantically involved with Palino's campaign worker, Luigi Wewege, at the same time as Brown.