by | August 24, 2016 · 3:33 am
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DUNEDIN : So over Cull #SmartVoters #WannaNewMayor

ODT 23.8.16 (page 8)

ODT 23.8.16 Letters to editor Calvert p8

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no-one loves cull anymore

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: Hex, whatifdunedin gives clarity to Cull’s tired campaign

25 Comments

Filed under DCC, Democracy, Dunedin, Media, Name, Politics, Public interest, Travesty

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

25 responses to “DUNEDIN : So over Cull #SmartVoters #WannaNewMayor”

  1. Calvin Oaten
    August 24, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    Dave Cull in responding to Cr Calvert’s summation of his Mayoral performances over the last six years, says he’ll rely on the voters to evaluate his and council’s past results. He should be very careful on what he wishes for.
    Today’s further comment in the ODT by Pam Warren could be a portent to his future.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth
    August 24, 2016 at 8:13 pm

    Excellence = 3 letters.

    ODT 24.8.16 (page 12)

    ODT 24.8.16 Letters to editor Warren Pearce Vandervis p12
    [click to enlarge]

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    The mayoral candidates, have mercy on we the Voters.

    My calls to date:

    🚫 panned/severely criticised
    💡 monitor/potential

    Mayor (1 vacancy)
    🚫 Barbour-Evans, Scout
    🚫 Bayne, Athol Stand up for Dunedin
    🚫 Cull, Dave
    🚫 Elder, Rachel
    🚫 Gray, Abe
    🚫 Hawkins, Aaron Green Dunedin
    💡 O’Malley, Jim
    💡 Stedman, Conrad Independent
    💡 Timmings, Barry
    💡 Vandervis, Lee
    🚫 Whiley, Andrew

    Source: http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/electoral-information/elections-to-be-held-and-nominations-dunedin-city-council

    Reply
  3. Peter
    August 24, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    Pam Warren was the head…..or is she still?….of Dunedin Council of Community Services ( DCOSS).
    She will have a good grip of the political state of Dunedin and what is required for the welfare of our people.

    Reply
    • A
      August 25, 2016 at 11:57 am

      I’m sorry, but the message of the letter is Don’t Vote, the outcome is ‘sickeningly obvious’. Pam is great, but fatalism and predestination do not for progress make.

      Reply
  4. Gurglars
    August 24, 2016 at 11:19 pm

    Timmings has the smarts and a lot of ticks! And I don’t mean the biting kind!

    http://www.otagomba.ac.nz/faculty/barry-timmings

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth
    August 25, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    Correction: Hilary Calvert – interesting ODT doesn’t bother to make correction, not for the first time…

    ODT Online 25.8.16 (page 6)

    ODT 25.8.16 Letters to editor Weatherall Whiley Evans Dickie p6

    ****

    Wed, 25 Aug 2016
    ODT Editorial: Lessons for councils and voters
    OPINION The saga of the Southland District Council and the cost of the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail has lessons for councillors and council staff everywhere. […] There are shades here of a certain Dunedin stadium and the role of wishful thinking in the acceptance of underplayed capital costs and oversold income. In this case, however, the proportional increase in capital costs from the budget is far, far greater. The list of other failures are also more extensive, although the stakes in a project the size of Forsyth Barr Stadium were much higher. Another parallel might be drawn with the South Dunedin cycleway debacle.
    Cont/

    █ Voters cannot choose chief executives and council staff. What they can do, nevertheless, as elections loom, is make sure they elect capable councillors prepared to question and scrutinise. ODT

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth
    August 25, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    New astute councillors (not bloody social workers) with an interest in cutting Deskhuggers and Managers on staff, and in finding new executive leadership that has a mission to trim the sails and exit Bloat are of keen interest.

    Reply
    • A
      August 25, 2016 at 5:57 pm

      What bloody social workers? We haven’t had social workers. We had Grim Re’apers. Council went down the drain when T Stevenson (apologise x 6), lost her place. We don’t want a Council that knows the cost of everything, but the value of nothing

      Reply
      • Elizabeth
        August 25, 2016 at 6:08 pm

        Teresa was nice but far from the calibre of councillor needed. When DCC has a consolidated debt of +$600M it has no real hope of diligently affording significant deferred infrastructure maintenance and upgrades (as Auditor Ian Lothian clearly notes – see his wording; JimmyJones has wisely pointed out the Auditor’s ‘warning’ time again for deadhead councillors to absorb….).

        Council Staff numbers are Way out of control for such a small municipality – the cost of carrying the top heavy bureaucracy associated with the damnable pay gradient system at DCC is, frankly, crippling and in need of erasure.

        Reply
      • Hype O'Thermia
        August 25, 2016 at 6:11 pm

        Don’t want a council that doesn’t CARE what anything costs, because they’ve already decided it’s of enormous value to us… or someone… and they’ll chuck OP’s money at it without a thought towards rising debt and raising rates faster than most people’s incomes.
        Like in the cosmetic ad on TV – “Because we’re worth it!”

        Reply
        • A
          August 25, 2016 at 10:03 pm

          Cost analysis of Gas exploration off the coast might be

          A find would be of great value, but it would come at great cost in the event of a gas explosion.

          (Still, there will be no ‘Lincoln lawyers’ on Council).

      • Gurglars
        August 26, 2016 at 9:33 am

        Unfortunately A, we have a council that does not know the cost of anything and has no idea of value.

        A value proposition is deciding to invest in vital infrastructure like mud tank cleaning and pipe maintenance before fripperies like indents into roads, cyclelanes and stadiums.

        A value proposition is having council employees who are so concerned about rate increases, that they stop car theft internally, do not hit trade me 550,000 times per year. They would negotiate the best price for mud tank cleaning, road repair.

        Finally, they would stop the proliferation of expensive traffic lights and examine alternatives that work much better in similar size towns worldwide like no traffic lights and roundabouts.

        Even a smart move like turning off all traffic lights except at peak periods would determine the ludicrous value of these particularly expensive fripperies.

        Reply
        • A
          August 26, 2016 at 11:37 am

          Gurglars, they’ve turned off two permanently, or do not know that two sodiums are blown, in the presciently named Dick Street [South Dunedin].

    • Gurglars
      August 25, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      One of the more interesting things I have discovered since apparently misspelling Cr Calvert’s first name is that Hilary means cheerful which one should have deduced from hilarious.

      However, in my defence and ignorance I offer the fact that whilst Hilary and Hillary are both masculine and feminine names in English, more men are called Hilary and more women are spelled Hillary. However I beg to suggest that when naming Cr Calvert both parents may well have had a different spelling in mind.

      Reply
  7. Hype O'Thermia
    August 25, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    No more Coordinators of Community multicultural applique cushion cover initiatives. Not even ONE more.

    Reply
    • A
      August 25, 2016 at 6:15 pm

      Another order. No Germans (too obedient), no English (very foreign and officious), no land speculators. At least one councillor who rents, to represent non ratepayers.

      Reply
  8. Hype O'Thermia
    August 25, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Suddenly coming up with the promised community hub just before an election, looks a lot like a bribe. Heaven knows Cull has let down South Dunedin appallingly, repeatedly, so it’s a matter of urgency to find some Mackintoshes toffees to toss them. Lacking a suitable site couldn’t stand in the way of the need to sweeten those voters, thus a poorly thought out site position probably looked like it would be better than nothing. South Dunedin is a poor suburb, they’ll be grateful for Anything – won’t they?

    I suggest they’ll probably me more grateful and remember with more enthusiasm those who were there for them. Neil Johnstone, debunking the foolish mayor’s “South Dunedin is doomed” blether. Lee Vandervis who turned up and filled sandbags “just like an ordinary person” who’s not too grand to get his own hands rough and his arms tired.

    They may also remember that it was Vandervis who made himself monstrously unpopular with the arrogant current mayor by pointing out *FACTS* such as the mysterious disappearing cars – and many other unwelcome facts – and instead of being thanked for looking out for the interests of Dunedin he was bullied, badmouthed and blamed.

    This time I hope we collectively vote for people who are going to be there for US, not for their own glory, not to push their own ideologies no matter whether they’re good for the city or not, not to be the most popular person in town, not to be rewarded by the Old Boys Club in various ways.

    We need people who are prepared to make the hard decisions, to say “No, sorry, we can’t afford it”. Or “We can’t afford it but if you get together and find a way to do it yourselves we’ll do our best to keep obstacles to the absolute minimum.”

    Reply
  9. Gurglars
    August 26, 2016 at 9:22 am

    “Keep Obstacles to a minimum”

    Hype, if you make an application to a bureaucrat and he says yes, he is redundant.

    It is only by saying no that he gains a job to assist you to spend a fortune gaining his approval which will only be given, ideally for him by another bureaucratic body like the Environment court, thus absolving himself from saying yes and writing himself out of a job as explained in paragraph 1.

    Reply
  10. Elizabeth
    August 28, 2016 at 12:49 am

    STARK CONTRAST — VOTE CULL OUT

    With the exception of the incumbent, Dave Cull, Dunedin mayoral candidates view the Dunedin Hospital rebuild and the health service as an election issue.

    Sat, 27 Aug 2016
    Taking pulse on health, rebuild
    Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says there is risk in “crying wolf” and leading public campaigns that are either ignored, or back the Government into a corner. Mr Cull says the Dunedin Hospital rebuild and health services are not local body election issues as they are not council responsibilities. […] Mr Cull’s views are at odds with the 10 candidates trying to replace him. They talk up the role as a cheerleader for the health service.

    Reply
  11. Hype O'Thermia
    August 28, 2016 at 3:19 am

    – Calling Major Tom –
    if you see a wee fellow in a Santa coat and a big chain round his neck please don’t give him directions back to Planet Earth. Not till, say, Christmas.

    No worries Major, any year you choose is just fine with us.

    Reply
  12. Hype O'Thermia
    September 9, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    Dithering his way to Ultimate Irrelevance, that’s Our Dave.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dcc/work-south-d-issues
    Work on South D issues
    Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says it is too early to make a formal approach to the Government for help with the problems facing South Dunedin.

    Reply

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