[2][3] In mid November, the Gore District Council rejected Bell's request to hire a personal executive assistant named Shanna Crosbie.
Bell subsequently went on leave after his fellow councillors submitted a requisition requesting the removal of deputy mayor Stewart MacDonell.
[6][7] Following a mediation process involving an external facilitator, Bell and his fellow councillors mended their working relationships with the Gore District Council CEO Stephen Parry in August 2023.
[17] In mid November, several Gore councillors including Bret Highsted, Neville Phillips, Bronwyn Reid, and Richard McPhail boycotted Bell's retreat in Cromwell for elected members.
Highsted criticised the decision to hold the retreat in Cromwell as disrespectful to the Gore community, ratepayers, businesses and the Mataura Licensing Trust.
[21] In late November, Bell returned following a three-day break and reaffirmed his commitment to his mayoral duties following a week of "challenging conversations".
[24] In December 2022, Stuff reported that six Gore District councillors Highsted, Reid, Dickson, Phillips, Paul and Richard McPhail had expressed concerns about Bell's management style and leadership to the Council's acting chief executive Parry on 19 November.
Bell had defended his actions, citing Section 41A of the Local Government Act 2002 and told the councillors to refer their grievances to Parry.
When questioned by Radio New Zealand about an Instagram photo showing a male friend kissing him on the cheek, Bell stated that "the next generation would think nothing about it."
[27] In late March 2023, Stuff reported that Bell's relationship with chief executive Stephen Parry had deteriorated and the two were no longer on speaking terms, requiring councillor Richard McPhail to act as an intermediary.
[28][29] Following this controversy, long-serving councillor Bret Highsted resigned from council citing high stress levels and "unsustainable anxiety", triggering a by-election.
[8] In late November 2024, Bell and Mayor of Central Otago Tamah Alley confirmed that their two councils would partner together to deliver water services to their communities, amidst rising costs.