Nine Wanganui District councillors have given their support to mayor Annette Main after an email attack on her by another councillor.
A group of councillors met Ms Main yesterday and gave her a letter, signed by the nine expressing their support for her.
Ms Main confirmed the councillors' support.
"A group of councillors gave me a message of support, relating to the restrained manner in which I dealt with an email from Cr Michael Laws," she said.
"The councillors wanted me to know they were comfortable with how I dealt with it."
She said she appreciated the support.
The Wanganui Chronicle understands the nine were Allan Anderson, Philippa Baker-Hogan, Jack Bullock, Randhir Dahya, Hamish McDouall, Ray Stevens, Rob Vinsen, Sue Westwood, and deputy mayor Rangi Wills.
Crs Laws, Nicki Higgie and Clive Solomon did not sign the letter.
In December Ms Main emailed Mr Laws asking him to remove, from his Facebook website, a picture of 5-year-old Sahara Koro-Baker, a Wanganui child who was killed in her home in December.
Ms Main said the request came on behalf of Sahara's mother.
Former Wanganui man Kerry Charles Ratana, 24, has since been charged with sexually violating Sahara.
He has been remanded in custody until February 2.
In her email to Mr Laws Ms Main said: "While we all share your disgust that there are people in this country who are capable of destroying a young girl's life, I wonder if you would respect her mother's wishes that you do not include her little girl's photo on your site."
Mr Laws, in an email that he copied to all councillors and numerous media organisations, accused Ms Main of "seeking to misuse your position as mayor of Wanganui to influence both an elected official and a national media commentator, to be silent about the latest child killing in this country."
Ms Main responded that she had simply passed on a message from Sahara's mother.
Mr Laws' response was to accuse Ms Main of "protecting a feral family you don't know".
"And you did way more than pass on a message, you liar. You sought to get a course of action from me."
Despite numerous other emails on the subject from Mr Laws, Ms Main did not respond further.
Mr Laws told the Wanganui Chronicle Ms Main and the council were "keeping me out of the loop".
He said the council didn't take child abuse in Wanganui seriously. "I intend to ensure that they are shamed into doing so. The council don't care about dead Maori children: they are manifestly unfit to be community leaders."
The Wanganui Chronicle has not seen the letter that was given to Ms Main, and councillors were reluctant to speak to us yesterday.
Oh poor wee Laws feels left out. How sad. That man is so full of a sense of his own importance. Too bad he is the only person that doesn't realise, that he is not very important, at all!
As much as i think it totally bites that Annette Main has to put up with that nasty man - i do have to admit that i love it every time he shows his true colours, with his tantrums and name calling.
It makes me laugh.
Good on you Ray...and Jack.
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