Book 'em

Strange happenings in the LawsWatch computer system today have made this post somewhat late. Our apologies. We suspect perhaps changes that were made to the administrative interface at blogger.com, no doubt done when "anyone who matters (i.e. the USA)" were asleep. It so important to be regular, as our mothers used to say.

Meanwhile, as the sun sinks on the 20-plus year career Wanganui District Council CEO Colin Whitlock, and the mayor leads a selective celebration of his replacement, the Watchers think it’s time the next chapter was written in the story of the book.

You may recall that on February 7, Chronicle readers were treated to a breathless treatise by no less than super scoop Mary Bryan in which Whitlock confirmed he’d be out by Christmas. "However", confided Mary, "he will not be severing all ties with the council in December".

Not doubt relieved that someone with such a sterling record of... err... keeping the seat warm would still be on hand, readers were further informed that "He has agreed to a request from Mayor Michael Laws to head a project to research and write a history of local government in Wanganui. This will take in the economic, political, social and cultural history of the region and be a major task."

There followed a most touching tribute by the Diva: "Mr Laws said Mr Whitlock had 'rendered the most extraordinary service to both the council and the Wanganui community'.

"He has been the rock upon which any number of political administrations have relied. I doubt his record will ever be rivalled, let alone repeated. To occupy the senior executive role for 21 years is a considerable feat. In that time Colin’s professionalism, leadership and good humour has made him a universally respected and admired figure."

Then came the clincher: "We need to tell Wanganui’s story better – Colin is just the man to head that project." On the council’s website he told us more: "I have asked, and Colin has agreed, that he head a project to research and write a history of local government in Wanganui. That will take in the economic, political, social and cultural history of our region and be a major task. We need to tell Wanganui's story better – Colin is just the man to head that project."

We just bet he is. It was Winston Churchill who said "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." But if you're a busy multi-media star with a sideline in local government and thus too busy to do it yourself, you bring in someone who'll write it for you.

The entire project was launched in the usual way - the Diva just shot his mouth off to the Chron without consulting the council, who were less than happy at reading of "their" intentions over their cornflakes.

Whitlock has been somewhat immune from criticism during Chas's reign but the gloss has gone off since the Diva arrived, and it seems he decided not to rock the boat (in fact, he seems to have been paddling like mad on the Diva's behalf).

With awkward questions surfacing over Whitlock's role in the port mess, it was undoubtedly time to go. And notwithstanding his blind loyalty to the Diva since the election, it seemed likely that not too many a tear would be shed into the Mayoral hanky at his departure, given that the CEO had come in for a good sledging by the Diva during the campaign, saying he was overpaid, underworked etc.

So the book deal was doubly strange, coming as it did out of the blue in February.

Perhaps the Diva was so desperate to get Colin to agree to go, and go quietly, that he got carried away with the book idea and has quietly consigned it to the "not to be mentioned ever again (except by LawsWatch)" basket. Especially since other projects are in jeopardy in what he himself describes as a "city [that] is strapped for cash".

Recently in comments an anonymous Watcher raised the book question and received a most intriguing reply from a not-so-anonymous commenter generally believed to have been the Diva. The book deal story was about politics and diplomacy, he said, and he accused the Watcher of not understanding either.

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