Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby casts negative aspersions on his losing councillors, by claiming this week the ‘hand brakes have been removed' and the new council is starting with a ‘clean sheet of paper'.
The Mayor has had 12 years to lead, strategise and make Tauranga a ‘happening place'. But we, the ratepayers, have nothing but burgeoning debt, masses of projects dead in the water, millions spent on things that have gone nowhere, and a staffing level that is the joke of the century.
The responsibility of Tauranga going nowhere lies squarely with the Mayor and his slavish belief in everything that previous CEOs, senior management and planners have put in front of him.
The elected political team does have control, by way of council resolution over projects, budgets and levels of service. The fact they have been led by the nose while patch-protecting their chairmanships, salaries and positions of power has finally resulted in a watershed of new councillors, who have successful business skills and abilities. Hopefully, this will allow change to the ‘hothouse' culture within local government in Tauranga.
Leadership is not something you can ‘talk up' - it is something that you ‘have' or you ‘haven't'.

Maureen J Anderson, Pyes Pa.