Mayoral bid – Northern Advocate – 22nd December 2012

 

Time for change.

 

Whangarei has been faced with the failure by the Whangarei District Council to do proper repairs and maintenance on roads, footpaths and bridges and other key basic infrastructure, coupled with incompetent financial management which in turn transfers debt incurred to the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Should the future generations be born into carrying this much burden, being responsible for the debts inherited?

In my opinion, this style of governance is the road to ruin.

You don’t have to look at Greece or Kaipara; you need to look no further than Forum North.

If anyone believes that the Hundertwasser, the Chinese bridge and a hotel will save Whangarei, then will they believe anything?

There must be a strategy to change to financial sanity, with a realistic policy to protect the infrastructure for our future generations.

                                     

That is why I intend to stand for the position of Mayor of Whangarei in 2013, in the hope that new councillors will be elected to put the needs and priorities of the Whangarei public first.......and not fantasize about visiting, big spending, wealthy overseas tourists, being our saviour.

Hopefully new councillors will not expect the next generations to foot the bill.

Hopefully they will put the everyday needs of the general public and business community who live here before the reckless spending on poorly planned loss-making monuments that many are attempting to push through at ratepayer’s expense.

Would it not be better to let those that want such projects, build and pay for them as commercial investments and not force the ratepayers to fund their dreams through irresponsible decisions being made on their behalf?

You do not necessarily have to have ‘big money spends’ to make a place vibrant. There are many people who have fantastic ideas to achieve this, as it’s the people and the natural environment that give Whangarei or any other town the ‘wow factor’.

Overheard at the library the other day by viewers of the ‘Car park to park’ project’; “Where are they going to get the credit card from?”   Well you and I know!

So, it’s time for a change.

 

Warren Slater

Maunu

                              

(Items that were abridged by Northern Advocate are in italics, for their published copies)