During the 2007 Local Body election campaign, I thought that the unsuccessful candidate, Caroline Lampp, was one of the better performers. I didn’t necessarily agree with her politics, but I thought she presented well. However the comments attributed to her in the Hawkes Bay Today on Friday the 3rd April would now suggest to me, that she is at best naĂŻve and frankly – well – I don’t want to go into the alternatives.
The Hawkes Bay Today quotes her as saying “When councillors are elected at large, they do not necessarily have any understanding of their local community and more importantly, have little knowledge of those communities they don’t live in”
How does this recent import to Napier dare to question my understanding of my local community?
My local community is Napier and I have lived here for well over half a century.
If we are going to take the petty view that you need to live in a street to represent that street, how come my good friend Maxine Boag – a staunch supporter of wards – lives on Napier’s hill, represents The Nelson Park ward – and represents them well.
Simply put – Caroline Lampp is talking garbage. I expected better of her.
When councillors are sworn in, they swear to represent the interests of the city. That is the whole city and all its constituents. I took that oath in total sincerity.
My family has been in this town since 1867, Members of my family have served countless organizations across the whole spectrum of community endeavours. There would be very few sporting codes, community or artistic organizations in the city that have not benefited from Dalton family support.
And Ms Lampp – dares to question my understanding of my community.
What next!
I have lived, been educated and worked in the fair city of Napier for
55 of my 57 years. I think I have as good a knowledge of the broader community of Napier as anyone in the city. And I don’t need to live next door to my friends in Maraenui or Marewa or Pirimai or Westshore or Taradale to understand their problems.
So the suggestion that councillors elected on a city wide basis do not represent a “community of interest” is simply bollocks.
What Napier needs is the best team possible to represent the interests of all its citizens.
To suggest anything else is just nonsense.
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