What are they hiding?

It all seemed so innocent. Ask the Tauranga mayoralty candidates a few simple questions about music. In the event only five of the 11 candidates responded in time. And one a little late. You can see what they all said on SunLive at
www.sunlive.co.nz/news/136203-lets-play-musical-mayors.html

It's pretty instructive stuff. And it raises a few questions...

After all, this is a high stakes election. Who would you trust? A man who would invite Leonard Cohen round for dinner? A man who couldn't think of a campaign anthem?

And what does it say that one candidate's best musical experience was a Bruce Springsteen concert while another's was ‘Les Miserables' at Baycourt? It certainly shows that we have a wide and diverse field here, and that's just talking about Hori BOP.

But some of the nominees failed to respond. They're obviously busy I thought. Clearly running for mayor is a full-time job, with all those billboards to erect, babies to kiss and sweaty palms to press. I thought little more of it.

After all, if one of the candidates can't even be bothered to write their last name on billboards, how could I expect them to care about a questionnaire on a subject as seemingly trivial as music?

But then I got an email and it changed my way of thinking. 'Hi Winnie” it said.

(Actually, if I can briefly interject, that's not my favourite manner of address. I'm trying – following the impressive example of North Korea – to move people towards 'Hi Venerated Leader”. I'd even settle for 'Listen Bozo”, but Winnie? Seriously?).

The email continues: 'I saw your questionnaire results. Very interesting. But only five? What's going on there? I've been watching those bloody Americans and Donald bloody Trump, who has not released his tax returns and is probably hiding the fact that he's not as rich as he pretends to be or has given money to the Ku Klux Klan or Russia or something. Now these wannabe mayors are doing the same thing.

Ask them a simple question about music and they refuse to reply.

What's going on here? Are they hiding something? How can we trust people if they won't even tell us what sort of music they like?”

Okay. Wow.

I must confess to not really having thought of it that way.

And I think it would be fair to point out that – just like The Donald's tax returns – there was no legal obligation involved in answering. But it does get you to thinking doesn't it? What are they hiding?

Since Murray Guy has already ‘fessed up that ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree' is his campaign anthem there seems unlikely to be even more embarrassing revelations out there but, as The Donald says: 'Who Knows?”

In the interests of absolute fairness, the late response was received from Noel Peterson. I'll share it despite tardiness. And it seems I spoke too soon about Murray Guy's campaign anthem since Noel has bravely chosen ‘Earth Song' by Michael Jackson.
Given the revelations about what was found by Police searches at Michael Jackson's estate I wouldn't have thought any politician would want to be associated with him in any way, but there you go.

Noel's earliest musical love was ‘The Sound of Music', and he would choose to invite Phil Rudd around for dinner (please insert your own punchline here).

The best gig he's been to was the One Love Festival in Tauranga last year. Fair enough and all power to the organisers of One Love for what looks like a bumper second bash coming up in the New Year.

Mayoral candidate Noel Peterson.

But that still leaves five mystery men, one without – apparently – even a surname. Sure, you could risk your vote on someone whose musical tastes you know nothing about. But is it worth it?

Check out those questionnaire responses here. Your city is counting on you.

watusi@thesun.co.nz