### ODT Online Thu, 1 Oct 2015
Mayoral hopes verified, denied
By Chris Morris
The fog of war is descending as Dunedin’s mayoral aspirants jockey for position a year out from local body elections. While some candidates are already putting their hands up for the top job, including Cr Andrew Whiley, others, including sitting Mayor Dave Cull, are continuing to play their cards close to their chests.
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Mayoral bids (via ODT)
Confirmed: Cr Andrew Whiley
Maybe: Mayor Dave Cull, Cr Hilary Calvert, Cr Aaron Hawkins
Denied: Clare Curran (Labour’s Dunedin South MP), Cr David Benson-Pope, Cr Jinty MacTavish
No response: Cr Lee Vandervis
Oft-cited: “…forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
Dave will be there next time!
If you want to know how the candidates did last time you have to be able to make sense of this: http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/345979/Dunedin-City-Council-2013-Triennial-Elections-Final-STV-Result-Report.pdf
What Dunedin needs, a fresh person untainted with previous spendthrift lightweights such as the Glenorchy firebrand (see central Mirror in the centre of this link. http://globalnewspapers.today/new-zealand/queenstown-mirror.
If Dunedin gets any of the Greater Dunedin faction then we are financially doomed, our seaside residents as well as their property values are going to plummet due to a bevy of chicken littles and our individual personal indebtedness incurred by this administration of $15,000 will blow out even further and for what?
A museum so prestigious it cannot charge
A stadium so advantageous to the community that its annual running cost is $20 million
A Chinese garden that cannot pay its way
900 employees so capable that they do not know that
A. There is a pumping station at Musselburgh
B. It did not work contributing to the massive flooding at South Dunedin
C. Some persons working in the organisation had stolen at least 152 cars in a ten year period.
D. A finance department so stuoid or corrupt as to buy a bank’s liability programme.
The list goes on.
So please, a capable intelligent citizen with enough mana to get elected, not tainted by present or past gigantic errors, not saddled with social change leader ambitions, not paid for by any lobby groups, not tied to the Labour party (one can only despair at those cities with current or past Labour ties); and in particular this person must be tough enough to trim the DCC establishment down firstly to 500 and then on to about equal with a similar size city Tauranga, 350 workers. The accent on workers – until this is achieved no ideas people need to be employed – it is those that have led us into this mess.
Gurglars. Don’t despair. There will either be The Second Coming or The End of the World.
Unfortunately in Dunedin we are already on the brink of the end of the (rational) world.
As to the second coming, do you mean Andrew Whiley?
Andrew Whiley promises us black gold where all the profits of multi nationals stay in Dunedin….a first…..and we are rolling in clover. Not the usual crumbs.
We will have an intellectual depth unparalled at the top where a knee jerk reaction to the prospect of money in the pocket for the plebs is perceived as a sure fire winner for votes. So simple. It works every time.
“…the allegations by Crs Hilary Calvert and Lee Vandervis have been denied by Mr Cull…. Dave’s right, Hilary and Lee are wrong AS USUAL, get it right you naysaying misguided plebs.
It’s the Truly Traditional Mayoral Declaration of Total Truth.
Dissenters will be shipped to somewhere the Mayor doesn’t go on jaunts to… getting to be fewer locations with each passing year (and plane ticket).
Verily, he storeth up air points in the heavens.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/358051/cull-denies-bias-panel-choices
“Claims of undue influence over a panel to shape Dunedin’s future have been levelled against Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull.
However, the allegations by Crs Hilary Calvert and Lee Vandervis have been denied by Mr Cull, who hit back by accusing them of a ”lamentable lack of understanding” of council processes.
The claims came a day after Crs Calvert, Vandervis and Cr Andrew Whiley publicly criticised the ”green tinge” of the panel appointed to hear public submissions on the second generation district plan (2GP).
Councillors last Monday voted to appoint David Benson-Pope, Aaron Hawkins, Jinty MacTavish and Kate Wilson, with three independent members to be added later.
A point is that no councillors should be on the hearings panel. They are asked at each standing committee meeting to declare interests. A Couple of the green block are leading some of the green block, and FORCING council positions. This has legal implications.
Councillors muttering this week should check legal position, gather evidence, and take action. Now’s the time. Cosying has become too literal.
I notice in the ODT page 4 “Health my first love — Thomson.” “I’d love to stay on council, and if I think I can, I will,” says Richard Thomson. He could have fooled me, as I am certain his first love is in fact Richard Thomson. Do us a favour Richard, just sod off from council and get “stretched” in the health system. It at least is trained to deal with narcissism.
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http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/357767/health-my-first-love-thomson
As for first loves and politics, always beware those in bed together.
As I recently drove along Cumberland St I found myself alongside a vehicle with the DCC logo on the lower side door. Above was, “City Care’ contractor to… This of course is the Christchurch Council works affiliate which successfully tendered to take over the civil and water maintenance scheduled by our DCC. Apparently the DCC is unable to manage to do this economically themselves. This raises the question, if we have a declared in house staff number of 900, compared with Tauranga’s 350 to 400, and with this number we still need to use other cities’ expertise in running our basic services is it not time for a serious look at the administration of our city? With people now starting to put their hands up for next year’s elections we need to look long and hard at the present shower of incompetents before we decide on giving them a return. For Dave Cull to think he is doing a good job with the city’s indebtedness, and the financial ineptness of the Finance and strategy committee members, which together have presided over the outrageous waste of directional oversight on both staff numbers and the obvious lack of purpose for the betterment of the city, then he is either deluded, stupid, or simply besotted with the trappings of office. Like all things going wrong, the ‘buck stops at the top.’ I am reminded of that very big song hit of a few years back “How Bizarre”.
Nice to note the Waitaki District Council is in surplus…. ODT Link
In contrast our Daaave is at bottom of cliff and smashed to hell.
Calvin. Believing you are doing a good job is par for the course. Few people would be prepared to acknowledge to themselves, or others, that their job is beyond them. Self belief is brittle when the truth is out there. Far better to soldier on and blame negative or overly ambitious people for any mishaps they point out to you. Smarty pants are a pain in the arse especially when they make good points that don’t fit your world view/agenda. Best to try and destroy them politically…..if possible…nicely…. so people don’t think you are horrid.
Len Brown was besotted with all the trappings of power and office, so much so that only a fool would believe he had total commitment to his roles of husband, father and Mayor of a city.
Can it be stage managed here like it was at Auckland. What would the students think about it. Seems hairdressers and close to DCC lawyers know. It’s about the right time to massage. Important there’s no angina attack in inconvenient locations or goose feathers.
The trick is to get the wife and kids in front of the media confirming their love and trust for the ‘stray rooting’ husband/father. It preserves their income and lifestyle and it’s the ratepayer that continues to wear the cost until at least the next election!!