Council integrity - Northern Advocate - 24th May 2011

What’s integrity worth?

The interesting article on Saturday’s edition Northern Advocate titled ‘Actually, I think I’ll pay the ticket’ about Whangarei District Councillor, Mr John Williamson; what’s integrity worth? Presumably being an advocate for road safety, as Chairman of Roadsafe Northland, a National Councillor for NZ Automobile Association, a trustee on AA Research Foundation (advocating road safety), a Commissioner on council hearings, a writer of ‘What’s bad driving’ in On the Road column, in the Whangarei Report and he (John) has to go to the Whangarei District Council CEO, Mr Mark Simpson to seek advice on a minor traffic infringement. Was John in fact only checking the credibility of the CEO, as John is one that sits on the specialist CEO appointment committee? This issue gained further traction, going to Mr Paul Dell, WDC Environment Group Manager who duly cancelled the infringement. The issue is now not about stopping on yellow lines, but how behind closed doors the extent some will go to, to exonerate themselves and now they have been caught out. Remember, it’s the council that approves the location of no stopping areas. Are these people fit to represent the citizens who pay their wages? Personally, I don’t think so. To sell your integrity and the integrity of others for $60-00 really does show, their ‘true worth’. For future reference John, the advice you may need on infringement notices, is normally printed on the reverse of the notice. Congratulations must go to the ‘whistle blower’.

Warren Slater

Maunu

(items abridged in italics for Northern Advocate copy)