The 1921 Lower Hutt mayoral by-election was triggered by the resignation of the incumbent, Percy Rishworth, just eight months after he had been re-elected for a third term. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Percy Rishworth had been Mayor of Lower Hutt since 1918 after the previous mayor, Henry Baldwin, resigned.[1] His tenure included coordinating the council's response to the Spanish flu epidemic and his response was praised. Consequently, he was unopposed at the next two mayoral elections.[2] In 1921 Rishworth had a disagreement with the Ratepayers' Association and some of the councillors over the erection of a gasworks in Lower Hutt as an alternative to continue paying for the use of the gasworks in neighbouring Petone. The public were supportive of a new gasworks and voted in favour of erecting one in a plebiscite. However the Ratepayers' Association remained opposed it. Councillor Will Strand made a speech in December 1921 to the Ratepayers' Association accusing Rishworth of a 'breach of faith' which was later leaked to reporters and published by local newspapers. At the next scheduled meeting of the council Rishworth addressed the matter and issued a challenge to Strand to resign along with himself and contest an election for mayor.[3] Strand accepted the challenge and the two contested the mayoralty. The election proceeded to resolve itself into one of supporters of the erection of a gasworks and those against it backing Rishworth and Strand respectively.
As Strand resigned his council seat to stand for the mayoralty he triggered a second by-election for one council seat. A further poll was avoided as Allan Macaskill was the only candidate nominated so was elected unopposed.[5]
