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The mayor and her special friends
by Alana Bowman
Abandoning her initial (rather uninspiring) argument to voters to support her attempt to win a fourth term as Wellington mayor ( “I have the experience!”), Kerry Prendergast has introduced a challenging new election strategy, reflecting the effect of social media and Facebook – it’s a competition for “Friends.”
Mayor Prendergast knows people, she boasts, in “the top echelon of this government” and this will ensure that Wellington will “get our share”. She is apparently unconcerned that such an elitist platform suggests that effective government depends on who you know, which is a rather broad swipe at the values of merit, democracy and transparency in good governance.
In an unguarded moment at one candidate meeting, she snapped at mayoral candidate Jack Yan that he was unaware of a planned roading project because she was talking to high-level central government people above those “at your level.”
She sets her asset of high-placed friends alongside the only fear she can admit that could ruffle the calm of the “fantastic” future she has ensured for Wellington – competing for resources against the Auckland Super City. She worries that her friends in central government will favour the Super City that they’ve imposed on unwilling Aucklanders, and warns that such favouritism could be to the detriment of Wellington. Only Mayor Prendergast can attract their top-level attention away from their new shiny toy.
Apparently, also, only she can deliver the message to “the highest echelon of this government” – that Wellington residents don’t want a super city “imposed on us”. But doesn’t she want a super city? Has she changed her mind on this, as with other issues during the last three years?
The list of changes is impressive -
- No to a fourth term.
- The indoor sports centre should be built at Centreport, not Hataitai.
- No expansion of the Johnsonville mall.
- Cutting $50 million from the city budget.
- Advocating last year that standards for earthquake strengthening be “relaxed,” but now wanting to find out “whether there are changes we can make to speed up the strengthening programme”.
- Supporting the Local Government Act allowing 35 year leases of water, yet saying at candidate meetings that water can be neither sold nor leased.
- Supporting a Basin Reserve flyover (in 2008) but telling an online survey this month that she opposes it.
Last year she told the DomPost that Wellington could have its own Super City by 2013. Now she opposes a Super City for Wellington. However in the New Zealand Herald on September 5 she said: “We need more shared services and we need to talk with one voice if we are to remain relevant.”
One voice? Whose would that be?
Alana Bowman is a Wellington resident who is also a lawyer who has practised in California.
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Another explanation of the “difficult” STV voting system
In a Newswire article under the heading “Councils fail to Reflect Capital City’s Ethnic Diversity,” Mayor Prendergast is quoted as saying the STV system used by the city council, “which in the view of its promoters … allows representation of minority groups, … in our experience … allows a few odd-balls to get onto Council, not minorities.” Wonder who she means? Those who vote against her or those who support her? There are a number of us who regularly attend council meetings and have often said it should be compulsory for all ratepayers to attend at least three meetings a year – they soon would recognise the odd-balls or perhaps they should be called “stooges.”
The only “oddballs” that I see at the few council meetings I have attended are in the public gallery. Same people go all the time – they also help themselves to the lunches!
Do not know who The Stig is, but want to assure him, my only sustenance is a glass of water……to stop me choking when I see what I as a ratepayer provide for these very well paid councillors not to mention their seven day free car parks and could go on……but do not want to embarrass his “mates”
I notice The Stig’s derogatory comments about ratepayers who attend Council meetings, and I admire those who do. Even a free lunch is no compensation for enduring such torture. However, perhaps the Stig will tell us why he goes (other than the free food), what his particular interests are in the proceedings, what positive contributions he has made to the improvement of Wellington, and why he didn’t put his name forward as a candidate in the elections?
I’ve suggested to the Wellington City Council and the Regional Council that meetings should be broadcast on free-to-air TV. Council discussions might improve and the rudeness and bullying might diminish.
Perhaps Pauline you could stand for council and stop the free lunches, free parking and reduce the incomes!!!!! What a platform to stand on – you would have all the answers on how to run our city.
I do not find the Council meetings a “torture”, rather a very interesting observation on how difficult and impossible a task they have. There will always be people who will object to anything and everything. I have also found this blog interesting as a study of human behavior – how negative some peoples lives are.
The lunches are not free. They are paid for through the rates.
How does Foggy know that Stig is not standing for the Council? For all he or she knows, he or she could be one of his or her ward candidates. Indeed, Stig could be a mayoral candidate, and perhaps one who likes motor sports. Makes you think!
Or Stig could be one of the mayor’s friends.
I have been thinking about the comment made by the Mayor in respect of STV and like Pauline I do wonder what she meant when she said that STV “allowed a few odd balls to get into Council, not minorities”.
So who are these odd balls? STV brought in five new councillors (one had had a term before under FPP). Surely Councillors McKinnon, Best, Coughlan and Wain could not be considered “odd balls”. The truly odd one out is Iona Pannett, but only because she does not have a foot permanently in the Mayoral tent. She is also distinguished by being judged by a recent panel as the most effective councillor.
If Kerry is re-elected it will be interesting to see if she gives leadership roles to these “odd balls”.
If Ms. Prendergast is re-elected, there is no chance of anyone – odd ball or even a well rounded one – getting any lucrative position without a prior undertaking to support all her schemes. This is how it works there now, and everyone involved knows it.