Tauranga City Council candidates endorsed in a private advertisement by developer Bob Clarkson in Friday's Weekend Sun newspaper say it was done without their knowledge or consent.

Bob's advert states new blood is needed in the council and recommends mayoral hopeful Kelvin Clout and candidates Clayton Mitchell, Gail McIntosh, and Matt Cowley for election.

Tauranga City Council candidate Matt Cowley says Bob Clarkson's ideas printed in the advertisement do not reflect his ideas.

The advertisement includes a collection of ideas Bob wants to see, but candidate Matt Cowley says it fails to separate his opinion from the candidates' endorsement.

'It would have been ideal if he had called us first,” says Matt.

Matt believes Bob should have clearly stated they were his opinions and not those of the candidates.

'I've never met him, never contacted, had no contact with him whatsoever,” says Matt.

'I've seen him at candidates' meetings but I have never spoken with him.”

A policy analyst with the regional council, Matt doesn't agree with some of Bob's ideas and policies. The first Matt knew about the advert was from people contacting him asking if he supported the university being developed at Windermere, and an 80metre reclamation along The Strand waterfront.

'It's been resolved the university needs to be in the CBD,” says Matt.

'The more people we can get into the CBD the better.”

Similarly Bob's suggestion of an 80metre extension to The Strand foreshore is not something to be contemplated without talking to all the right people first, says Matt.

'That would have a huge impact not only economically but in relationships as well,” says Matt.

'This is all Bob's opinion.”

Candidate Clayton Mitchell says he's 'quite chuffed” Bob's listed him as somebody he thinks should be in the next council, but there's no story about him and Bob Clarkson.

He doesn't agree with all of Bob's ideas either.

'The way I read it, he's putting these four people's names forward as fresh and new and exciting people to consider for council, and the rest of it was about what he would like to have done,” says Clayton.

It's not approved and he hopes it doesn't get included in his campaign budget costings.

'I don't see anything major with it, but certainly they are not my policies.”

Gail McIntosh believes she's included in Bob's line-up because of a remark she made leaving a recent meeting.

'I've spoken to Bob Clarkson once in the last five years,” says Gail.

'As I was leaving a candidates meeting the other night, I said: ‘I don't know why they are building the university in town, it would be far better to be at Windermere'.

'And Bob immediately said ‘yes of course', and away he went. How did I know that was his pet project?

'I fell off my chair when I read it, I was so annoyed. The other issue is we have to return all our expenses and income. The question is - do we have to put that in when we knew nothing about it?

'I've had a couple of bad facebook comments about it, people annoyed because that's my view. It's not my view. I didn't advocate filling in the harbour.”

Kelvin Clout has quite a lot of sympathy for Bob and what he's trying to do, what he wants to see in terms of progress in the city, and he also had no prior knowledge.

'I told him I don't agree with everything he's said in the ad,” says Kelvin.

'I'm happy enough that he wants good positive action.

Bob's idea of more harbour reclamation was a surprise, says Kelvin.

'That was the one that stood out,” says Kelvin. 'I haven't heard any proposals at all. That was the one that surprised me the most.”

Bob's reaction to the candidates' concerns today is to rescind his endorsement.

'I don't care what they want it's what I want,” says Bob Clarkson today.

'Those four candidates selected and I suggested those things that I did. That doesn't mean in any shape or form that I'm agreeing with it.”