Hastings District Council Mayor Lawrence Yule has certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons with his announcement that he is seeking a fourth term as Mayor, on a platform of establishing a unitary authority for Hawkes Bay.
And you have to wonder what his motives are – making the announcement 14 or 15 months ahead of the next election. Sure, from a political perspective he has seized the initiative from HB Regional Council Chairman, Alan Dick, who clearly sees the Mayoralty of Hawkes Bay as his as of right. And what of Mayor Barbara – does she see herself as “Queen Bee” in this new hive of political activity?
I can’t help but wonder if Mayor Yule, who is also President of Local Body New Zealand, might be the leg man for his new found friends in Wellington led by Rodney Hide. I wonder if Mayor Yule’s proposal of amalgamation is any part of a deal to secure funding for pet projects. Whatever the case, I am sure that little Rodney will be dancing with delight at the announcement.
I am still not convinced that full amalgamation is the right thing right now. In recent times there has been a concerted effort at political and officer level, amongst all the councils, to work co-operatively. Hastings District Councillor Wayne Bradshaw and I have been campaigning for even greater co-operation between our two councils and this is really gathering momentum. Why then, do we need to rush in to amalgamation? Aren’t we better to continue the process that is already under way – to progress matters in an evolutionary manner rather than stage a revolution.
Auckland is the first victim of Rodney’s revolution and clearly there will be all sorts of mistakes made and lessons to be learned. Why don’t we make haste slowly and give ourselves time to learn from Auckland’s experience.
Mayor Yule suggests there are enormous savings to be made as a result of amalgamation but, all current buildings will be utilized, staff members are going to be protected and we will have more elected representatives. All I can say is – the ball is in your court Lawrence.
You have made the call – now you need to convince us all that your plan will be beneficial to all ratepayers in Hawkes Bay.
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