Local government matters! It matters more than you can imagine.
Every decision council makes affects our life, our liberty, freedom of movement, the value of homes, the quality of beaches, the preservation of local heritage, the cost of community halls, the protection of significant trees, parks, reserves and native birds.
Which is why it's so important to vote in the local body elections coming up this October. But who to vote for? It's at this time of civic duty that I get lots of queries from neighbours, customers and aquaintances on just that, "Who do I vote for?"
As Bruce Cotterill outlined in his recent opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, titled, Auckland's council is out of its depth and out of money, the consequences of voting people in based on their visiibility can be disastrous. Business owners in the West Lynn shops know all too well the damage done to their livelihood by bad design and the remediation that creates more problems than it solves.
People ask me who to vote for because they are short of time yet desire to participate in the democractic process.
I have spent a lot of time observing local government and engaging with the diverse characters involved, so I'm happy to share my analysis. Essentially it's what people stand for that is important. There are seven brave councillors who deserve our vote for challenging many budget decisions made by the outgoing mayor Phil Goff. They are John Watson, Chris Fletcher, Sharon Stewart, Wayne Walker, Greg Sayers, Daniel Newman, and Tracy Mulholland.
It will be glaringly obvious that our own Waitematā local councillor Pippa Coom is not on the ‘Who to vote for’ list. This is because she has failed to represent the community, choosing instead to push her own agenda and that of numerous lobby groups.
Here in the Western Bays, Coom and the local community board paid lip service to climate change when they signed the warrant to clear fell the Western Springs native forest in order to build a bike loop track. To this I say give 'em all the sack!
This year you must make time to vote, vote to change the status quo, vote for better governance. Vote for people who will truly represent your wishes.
Lisa Prager, Community Advocate
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