Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark will have quadruple bypass heart surgery.

Clark suffered a minor heart attack on Wednesday afternoon after which he was admitted to Southland Hospital as a precaution.

The following morning, he was transferred to Dunedin Hospital for further tests.

Deputy mayor Tom Cambell said Clark was now scheduled to undergo the surgery next Wednesday and would remain in Dunedin Hospital with his family until then.

“I have spoken to Nobby today and he remains positive and is really champing at the bit to get it over with and back on the road to recovery,’’ Campbell said.

Clark’s recovery was likely to take a couple of months and Campbell would take the reins at the council until the mayor was able to return.

“I look forward to making sure there is no loss of momentum on the projects Nobby has been driving,’’ he said.

Clark and his partner Karen had been “obviously a little bit shocked’’ by the need for the operation Campbell said, but the mayor was still in good spirits and was joking away.

In some respects the minor heart attack had been a bit of good luck, as it had provided warning of the need for surgery, and the work of medical staff in Invercargill and Dunedin had been fantastic, Campbell said.

He strongly doubted that the typical two month recovery period meant Clark would be completely sidelined for that long.

Clark was one of those people who would feel more stressed when they couldn’t be involved in what mattered to them, said Campbell.

Although “I strongly suspected Karen will be tying him to the bed’’ at times, Campbell said he wouldn’t be surprised if Clark was Zooming or calling in contributions to council meetings and discussions during his recovery period.

The main tasks for the council in the next two months were finalising the 10-year plan and, towards the end of February, the rates-setting exercise.

“No doubt Nobby will want to be involved – in the finalisation of the rates increase, especially.’’

Continuing Project 1225 for the new city museum, Tisbury storage facility and Queens Park tuatarium, getting things moving on Wachner Place were also high-agenda items on the council’s infrastructure projects.

Clark and his family continued to request privacy while they focused on his recovery, but were grateful for the messages of support, many of which had been heartfelt, Campbell said.