Respectful hearing for council candidates

September 14th, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

About 50 people packed into the Memorial Hall supper room last night to hear the five mayoral and seven ward councillor candidates outline their policies and answer questions.

The meeting, co-hosted by Vision Motueka and Our Town Motueka and chaired by Howie Timms, remained attentive and respectful at all times, allowing the candidates to speak without interruption and keep to their allotted times.

Without trying to summarise the broad policy positions of each candidate, some topics came up often and showed an expected range of views on the usual issues which many voters see as top priority.

If the candidates' speeches and answers last night are anything to go by, the main high-priority issues this time around include:

managing the council's growing debt,
improving or fostering relations between council and the community board,
deciding which activities are and are not part of core council services,
the importance of catering for youth,
keeping rates low,
giving Motuekans a fair share of the council budget,
council efficiency, and
the proposed Motueka library development.

The seven candidates for the three positions as Motueka ward councillor made clear their priorities on many of these issues. All provided clear policy positions, and this review will not try to summarise them all.

The following is an attempt to pick up on the main points of each. It must be noted that every candidate (plus the five layorla candidates) emphasised the need to consider all new developments against control of council spending and prioritisation of all projects according to costs and benefits.

Rob Francis wants a high priority to go to community development, youth development and the environment, and said his experience in council operation would make him an effective councillor.

Barry Dowler spoke of the experience he has had and the achievements he has brought through working on "nuts and bolts" projects and community groups as a ward councillor for the past six years.

Paul Blackham said his experience in and understanding of financial markets would help handle debt problems and bring innovative thinking to council's governance. He also stressed the need to look after youth.

Tara Forde said she would bring an experienced perspective of visionary community development, the use of new social media and the needs of the younger generations for the future health and growth of the district.

Jack Inglis expressed his passion for several projects he has worked on for some time, including council debt, clearing the Port Motueka channel, the Kaiteriteri Road and clearing the Motueka riverbed.

Peter Canton wants council to stick to core services, scrap or defer the library development, and give far more power to community boards. He would also bring more humour to the council table.

Gail Jewell said she would bring her vast experience from 15 years as a Christchurch councillor and director of large public companies to help council be more effective for Motueka people.

Mayoral candidates: As three of the five candidates were from the Richmond area (with the exception of Tasman village's Steve Richards and Gary Watson from the Motueka Valley), their policy statements tended to be more on district-wide issues and council management, such as the Lee Valley dam, amalgamation and empowerment of community boards. There will be no attempt here to summarise each.

Steve did talk of bringing his understanding of business management with Jester House to encourage innovative solutions to Motueka's community problems.

Comment by William Cleaver:
[Posted 15 September 2013]

Didn't surprise most that Motueka only managed to fill the supper room at the memorial hall to meet the candidates. Mathematical deduction equates to less than .5 of a % showed interest. I myself sway towards the other 99.95% that unfortunately found myself forgetting the whole event was on. Not that I cared anyway.

Candidates I have already come across are newbies like Tara Forde and Peter Canton. These two have made an effort to get out there and meet the locals. Others seem to think its a fair gone conclusion that placing a huge banner or billboard on the state highway is enough to get you in. Using one's current experience on the community would not be something I personally would want to brag about.

Motueka on the face value of the town has remained stagnant on a lot of issues. Don't get me wrong - planters, footpaths and murals can make the place look tidy but core issues about upgrading or improving the need to attract the tourist dollar to the town can only buy work for all.

I do hope that the newly elected community board can make Motueka vibrant, work with Vision Motueka, OTM and all the other community members to make Motueka a fun place to live. Also please ask your community what ideas they have. We are all not stand up and make a difference types but we all have views and some of us just might have a few good ideas. After all we did vote you in.

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