Letters to Editor
Three into one
Susan O’Regan, Mike Pettit, Clare St Pierre.
So, three have put their hands up to be mayor: the incumbent (Susan O’Regan), Mike Pettit and Claire St-Pierre. I made the mistake of voting for the incumbent last time solely because she promised to improve communication with residents. And look how that turned out. Not this time. I was enthused reading Pettit’s pitch for the role but that quickly turned to scorn when I saw that he would, “prioritise partnerships with mana whenua to strengthen the Māori economy”. Since when has that been a core function of council? Pettit would be well advised to take a look at Tainui’s accounts over the last few years and the financial clout they have to expand and build the Māori economy here rather than use rates, most of which are paid by non-Māori So that rules him out. St-Pierre’s pitch looks reasonable on the face of it but we have heard it all before. I might have to vote for her just because I reject the others. Not the best reason… but the alternative is not to vote at all.
Kelvin Dunn
Cambridge
LGNZ decision
It is astounding that mayor Susan O’Regan has not even had a discussion with the council about leaving the LGNZ. (The News, July 17).
With council expenditure requiring a rate rise, and already having executive positions, one wonders how the council can justify also subscribing to LGNZ at a rate of supposed $122,000.
Furthermore, I thought it would be the people that the council represents that should influence policy, not a left-leaning agency that tells the council what to do. One of the roles of LGNZ, according to Google, is to provide policy advice and support to member councils. What input does the voter get on this policy advice?
(Abridged)
Delwyn Smith
Cambridge
Letters to Editor. Photo: Pixabay
