Election candidates get a grilling at Grey Power meeting

September 24th, 2010
By David Armstrong

Motueka's community house was packed yesterday for Grey Power's 'Meet the Candidates' meeting, with all 13 local candidates for mayor, council and community board attending together with about 50 vocal residents.

Each candidate presented a three-minute speech, outlining their qualifications for office, their main policy priorities and why they should be elected, and most also answered brief questions put to them on several policy matters.

The exception was the final candidate, incumbent mayor Richard Kempthorne, who received a string of challenging and often angry questions for over half an hour, mostly about general council matters rather than his own role and candidacy. Many of these challenges may have been valid, but in the opinion of this reporter were not appropriate for the purpose of the meeting, and finally an end was called.

Part of the audience

Some of the candidates in action

MOTUEKA COMMUNITY BOARD CANDIDATES

David Ogilvie, as incumbent chairman of the community board, began the speeches. His top priority is to achieve a "balanced rate spend", in which a fair proportion of the rates raised within the Motueka ward is spent here. Currently, he said, about 65% of what we pay is returned to local infrastructure and programmes, and he aims for this to reach a fairer 85%. His second priority is to get more decision making back to Motueka through "delegated functions with funding", so we can manage our own parks, footpaths, museum etc.

Paul Hawkes said the past three years of the community board had been very effective, and he wants to be part of Motueka's continued growth. He wants a close cap placed on targeted rates: in Motueka about 70% of ratepayers are on fixed incomes, he said, so a ceiling is needed on rates rises.

Mark Chapman said he is campaigning on keeping Motueka's water within our own area and not seeing it sent down the coast. He also is against the popular demand for a bypass road to be built, saying he believes that there are other ways of addressing the roading and High Street congestion issues without keeping traffic away. When strongly questioned on this, he said a bypass would have too damaging an effect on local retailers and businesses.

David Delong said he is standing because he has seen the community board over the past three years become much more proactive, and as a local business man he wants to be part of this resurgence. He is strongly in favour of fixing the "disgraceful and unsafe" Kaiteriteri Road within the 10-year-plan, and preferably within five years. He wants to "make the community board more proactive and the district council more accountable", and wants Motueka to ne able to look after its own assets.

Cliff Satherley, if elected, would aim to reduce the slice that bureaucracy takes from the rates pie. He advocates good planning to get Motueka going, particularly in relation to the Central Western Motueka Plan, and (as the first candidate specifically asked for his attitude to the proposed Nelson/Tasman amalgamation) strongly advocated a "No" vote. "The two are like chalk and cheese, with Nelson seeing Tasman as a cash cow," he said.

TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL, MOTUEKA WARD CANDIDATES

Tara Forde led off with a strong speech dominated by her advocacy for the ward first, particularly against the scheme to take and use Motueka water down the coast, less money spent on car parks and more on footpaths and the library, and for a larger profile for the community board in council matters. She offered her energy, grit and full-time dedication, and promised to attend every meeting of the community board to help facilitate links between the two. Tara also fronted up to the inevitable questions about her very recent court dealings over cannabis possession, saying that she was young and sometimes makes mistakes (such as this one), but tells the truth. She was sorry about having been a bad role model, and has openly and honestly talked with young people about her mistake.

Barry Dowler spoke only briefly, listing his achievements over his past terms on the council and community board, and his ongoing involvement with local trusts, Sports Park Motueka and the Cadets. He is also against the amalgamation proposal. Jack Inglis said he wants to see a Motueka Marina developed with tourism-related businesses built at the mouth of the inlet, as just one example of further business development in the area other than primary industry. This could include a commuter sea shuttle service between Motueka and Nelson. He is worried about the state of the Kaiteriteri road, the stopbanks ("make them stronger but affordable"), and wants to find ways to make rates more affordable, such as putting some projects on the back burner.

Eileen Wilkins spoke of her two terms on council and her previous work on the community board, as well as her involvement in many community groups. Her priority is to manage council's finances "for the sake of our children". She wants council to give further encouragement to our youth. She also answered questions about the problem of uncontrolled dogs on the walkway, Kumeras and sandspit.

Boris Leegwater said he wants to represent "working people" on the council. The main issues for him are the affordability of rates and of housing, and wants council to work on ways of providing cheaper housing for lower income and young people. He said advice he has sought about the sustainability of the aquifer has made him happy with a policy of sharing water with the wider area down the coast.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Ted O'Regan said he had three terms on the council and a background of rural development and real estate to support his bid for mayor. He is standing against the continual increase in rates and debt "rising at an alarming rate", which is "not sustainable". He said he has a plan to take to council to make cuts in council spending, and to "bring the borrowing programme to heel".

Victoria David offered the audience a strong voice for Motueka to get more delegated authority to its community board. She said decision making on water should be made here, by us and not by Richmond. In fact, council meetings should be here as it is the centre of the district. Her strong speech, which emphasised more attention to environmental issues, culminated in: "contrary to the other speakers, I have ideas, not just rhetoric, to address these issues". And no, she would not (as a questioner asked) wear her mayoral chains on any naked bike ride in future (much accompanying laughter), but she would still go to these sorts of lengths to publicise important causes.

Richard Kempthorne said he had demonstrated "stable, effective leadership" over the past three years, and wanted to continue this work. He supports local community boards and wants to improve relationships with them over issues like targeted rates. His priorities in relation to Motueka are to keep rates as low as possible by using the tool of intergenerational debt, to help solve problems of flood protection and water reticulation, and to help rezone Motueka for future planning in the Central West plan.

The meeting then collapsed, in the opinion of this reporter, into a stream of complaints about a range of council actions and policies which Richard fronted and which precluded comment from any other candidates. These included how much money the mayor and council executives are paid, how rates are calculated, the bypass road plan, water and other perennial issues as well as the new one of council amalgamation. These were valid questions, but in my opinion better left for "mayoral forum"-type meetings once the elections are over.

Comment by Valerie Rae, president of Grey Power, who chaired the meeting:
[Posted 26 September 2010]

I do have issued with what you have written: "The exception was the final candidate, incumbent mayor Richard Kempthorne, who received a string of challenging and often angry questions for over half an hour, mostly about general council matters rather than his own role and candidacy. Many of these challenges may have been valid, but were not appropriate for the purpose of the meeting, and finally an end was called."

I understand the meeting was designed for the public to hear the candidates speak and question them on their views regarding different issues, which they did. In Richard's case I decided to let the question time stretch out so the audience could question the Mayor on issues which they are very concerned about and which he has controlled over the last 3 years.

If other candidates were frustrated at the audience being allowed to ask the Mayor general questions about council decisions and ways of operating, then that says a lot about how they feel about ratepayers voicing their concerns. A good candidate, in my opinion, would have been listening intently to what the ratepayers were saying.

The meeting made me realise how much the people needed to have a public meeting with the Mayor (whoever that may be) and I will certainly be organizing at least 2 such meetings throughout the coming year.

The photos and summary of what the candidates said were excellent, but then you add: "The meeting then collapsed into a stream of complaints about a range of council actions and policies which Richard fronted and which precluded comment from any other candidates. These included how much money the mayor and council executives are paid, how rates are calculated, the bypass road plan, water and other perennial issues as well as the new one of council amalgamation."

I really don't see the need for this paragraph. The questions were mainly general ones as you know and the best person to ask, in my opinion, was the boss. I did not see them as complaints, except for one audience member, most were strongly voiced questions and that is why I let it run.

You are quite within your rights to write what you have written, but it is only your opinion of events. I have had very positive feedback from the rest of the committee, the general public, candidates I have seen since the meeting and even the Nelson Mail version of events is positive.

With this in mind I ask you to please amend you writings to say that they are your opinions or amend the article.
[Editor's comment: Thanks Val, this last request has been done - see story above.]

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