A dismal voting figure of 37.4 per cent, with 31,670 voting papers counted, signifies an apathetic Tauranga City electorate.
This is not the exercising of a democratic right, it is an abrogation of that responsibility.
A criticism that looks to be very well founded is perhaps the very low voter turnout has been a failure to provide an online voting option to attract the younger brigade of the city.
Tauranga's Mayor Stuart Crosby has been elected by 10,135 out of 85,000 registered voters, representing 12 per cent.
It means he is elected by only one in three who bothered to vote.
This is not a straigth-forward mandate to Stuart Crosby, it's a vote of no confidence.
Depending on how you interpret it, 88 per cent of electors don't support Crosby.
Or 67 per cent of those who voted don't endorse his ‘Proven Leadership' motto.
It's a farcical credo, for during nine years as Mayor, he never achieved any consistent encompassing coherence in council, instead ruling by cliquishness, which certainly doesn't constitute leadership.
As a parting thought, I find it very strange only a handful of people thought Tauranga City Council debt, and its lack of accountability and transparency, were serious issues a week ago.
However, now everyone has jumped onto this same bandwagon.

Tony Fellingham, Tauranga South.