Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner sunlive.co.nz

The hiatus that surrounds council election time is drawing to a close.
This week the newly elected council met informally with their partners to introduce themselves in a relaxed environment.

Mayor Stuart Crosby spoke of our community's expectation of a functional council working for the future of the city. That is a view shared by those elected members I spoke with during our short get-together. Hope was also expressed of a more positive media coverage that gets away from the ‘man bites dog' tendency of the past. Certainly the atmosphere was relaxed and positive which is a good start.

All aboard
Next Tuesday the new council will be sworn in. As noted last week all elected members will sign a warrant undertaking to act in the whole city's best interests, leaving ward politics unmentioned. It's difficult rationalising how some successful elected members get 10,000 votes and others in a ward get 3000 votes and it's still democratic. That's not to detract from the individual successful ward candidates. They didn't ask for this system – with one exception. Candidates at large with 7000 and 8000 votes don't have a seat. And all voters only get to vote for six out of the 10 seats on council. Democracy or division?

Calm before the storm
After the council is sworn in there will be a day ‘retreat' where elected members will informally, and without media and staff, discuss the next three years; what is hoped will be achieved and the committee structure to do this. Pre-election and post-election adrenalin should have calmed by then and we can move along from comments like those reported on that internet social phenomena Facebook from Murray Guy of 'those who voted for Mayor Stuart Crosby as turkeys voting for an early Christmas”.
With such a whopping majority, Stuart has really had an early Christmas present from his 'turkeys”.

Battening down the hatches
Meanwhile the reduced council meeting schedule has made more time available for constituent matters. Presently I am involved in quite a few issues facing individual ratepayers. Some are quite involved and as they are matters affecting people's private business I won't got into details. There are roading issues – wastewater and sewerage issues – commercial business – council leases – vagrancy – flood and constituent enquiry of general council business. The most important function of elected members is to represent ratepayers and act on their behalf where necessary. By and large it seems from feedback that council staff do a good job in service provision but where people consider they aren't being treated fairly then that is where elected members step in. Sometimes I'm surprised at how far things have gone awry before complainants contact elected members. A flooding issue I dealt with a few years ago had gone on for 11 years before a long suffering ratepayer made contact and we were able to resolve it to everyone's satisfaction.

Fending off the scallywags
The other end of this spectrum is those who complain endlessly. Some of these are, in my opinion, vexatious, frivolous and occasionally vindictive. With the rights are given under the Local Government Act, Official Information Act, Bill of Rights – these people cost ratepayers plenty – into the hundreds of thousands of dollars last term. Using the system to have a crack at city hall, staff and elected members for personal satisfaction has now reached the point of it being a luxury that ratepayers can no longer afford.

Surviving the storm
On to lighter subjects. Election signs. It would be interesting to hear the community view of election signs. Like real estate signs where there are a lot of them they can look a dog's breakfast. Next year council gets to decide if election signs are to be allowed for the 2013 election and it would be good to have your view. I didn't do roadside signs again this year, but I did do a floating sign by the harbour bridge. It seemed a great idea until we were towing it around there in near gale conditions – a choppy sea and the tow line coming undone at the crucial moment as we turned the corner by the Sulphur Point wharf provided heart stopping excitement. Included on the sign was the word 'stability”. I imagined the field day the media would have had if the whole thing had blown upside down that first night as the wind gusted up to 69 knots. Thankfully it survived. And thanks to Kevin, Brian and Peter for their much appreciated help with this endeavour.