Are any of them really up to the job?
The candidates are applying to be a director of the multi million company that is Tauranga City Council, and we are faced with the problem of who to choose for one of the $70k jobs.
How do you pick the right person when none of them has shown that they have the skills required? Nobody seems to have been employed as a CEO, Chief Fianance Officer etc. of a large company. If those now standing for office presented their CV's for a similar job in the real world, they would not make the interview stage. Being a volunteer on various community committees, and having honesty, integrity and good intentions are great, but do not put you on the short list.
It's very impressive stating what great things you are going to do, but it falls flat when you do not explain how you are going to make it reality.
Those standing for re-election are smugly confident that they have been doing a wonderful job, and seem oblivious to the fact that Tauranga is in a financial mess.
Their only solution is to increase rates or to charge for previously free services.
One of the present incumbents - John Cronin - states (The Sun, 22 Oct) that he thinks that this years rate rise of $2.61p.w. is moderate (he must be the only ratepayer who thinks so). Unfortunately, most of the people that I know have had an increase of $141 ($2.71p.w.) with some even higher. A lot of people in the city are on a fixed income, and they regard it a a major increase.
I have the voting papers, now where is that pin?
B. McClure, Tauranga.