There are some unusual aspects to the article 'Council disputes election ad” in The Weekend Sun 27 August, on page 38.
It seems unprecedented for a local body statement of such relevance and importance to appear anonymously, apparently having been compiled by a group of Tauranga City Council ‘staff'. This lack of attrition is significant on at least two counts:
1 Normally any official Council response to a controversial issue would be issued under the authority of the Mayor, the Chief Executive or an authorised top-ranking officer.
2 It is apparent from the tenor of the advertisements, and the timing of them, that these are aimed at the present elected representatives, not at the ‘staff'. Therefore it is now a prerogative of the ‘staff' to make a political, or in fact any, statement? It seems in appropriate to do so!
The ‘staff' response to the advertisements points out that ‘an anonymous advertiser' is responsible for the items requiring comments. Is there a double standard here, with the ‘staff' statement, as published, effectively also being anonymous? No staff names or contact details are given.
If there is confusion and/or inaccuracies in the figures being disputed by the ‘staff', perhaps the Tauranga City Council has failed to transparently spell out the true facts, figures, costs, profits and losses of the various projects and Council operations (actual or planned) about which serious questions are being asked.
David Flatt, Tauranga.