Squawk boxing

An interesting point - though not one made directly in the Radio NZ report on Councils' spending - is that they've published a figure of 4.1%, apparently quoting none other than Mayor Michael Laws as touting this as the lowest in the country, without even questioning the fact that the propaganda meant for Wanganui's citizens has been steadfastly quoting three percent. Is Mr Maslin moonlighting at RNZ, we wonder?

The Diva is also quoted as saying the WDC has "moved to justify every element of its spending". Someone should tell him that squawking "it won the referendum!" doesn't justify anything on any basis other than populism - certainly not an economic basis, or planning or even a social one.

He also boasts of sacking six senior managers but makes no mention of his intention to restock the Council's legal and engineering departments, no doubt with people hand-picked to give him the answers he wants on the afforability and legality of the contents of his pork barrel. Meanwhile the low-level haemmorhage of staff is continuing, with two walkers from the engineering-planning area in recent weeks.

Talking of squawking, Mickey's rant on 13 June has had the chattering classes occupied for most of last week. Apparently, democracy is well and truly dead in Wanganui. According to the Mayor, who was reportedly standing on it's throat while dictating that day's press release, committees exist only to rubber stamp his proposals. If they don't, they'll be ignored. Specially if, like the Heritage Committe, they actually have real people on them, as opposed to tame councillors.

Heritage, as we're sure you're all aware, chucked out his idea for a Wanganui Anniversary Day. That drew an immediate outburst from Mickey (complete with headline exclamation mark!) reminding us that committees can only recommend. And when they recommend something that isn't a pet project of his, that doesn't count - they're just a bunch of incompetents, and anyway not everyone turned up for the meeting. And anything a committee does has to go to full Council (where of course he can tug the strings and set heads a-nodding like those dog toys people used to put in the rear windows of their cars before we had actual suspension).

This fine piece of penmanship appeared on the Council website, but then someone decided it might be wise to balance it with a somewhat more moderate rant in the name of Mickey's boy Marty. Clearly someone in the hierachy has decided it's better to put the bucket beneath the elephant as soon as it starts bellowing rather than follow it round afterwards with a broom. That must be one of those "efficiencies" we keep hearing so much about.

Having gone to so much trouble to educate the burghers of Wanganui that Council committees weren't actually there to be listened to - or accorded any respect by the Mayor - the Diva managed a pirouette of incredible skill the next day.

How anyone who can instantaneously reverse their position 180 degrees with such consummate skill could have failed to make the cut for "Dancing with the Stars" eludes us, truly it does.

The Administration and Finance Committee had, you see, approved his plans for the waterfront, choosing Option One (Mickey's favourite, and the most expensive of course), over the alternative. So not a word in his subsequent release about it having to go to full Council for approval, let alone about how weak and ineffective committees were. No, this decision was praiseworthy because it had come from senior councillors, he managed to tell us whilst keeping a straight face.

Turns out all the moving and seconding on the waterfront was by Vision (Dottie and Muzza) or Vision-in-drag's Rangi Wills. Since when did these fresh-from-the-bottle fizzers become senior councillors?

A few days later, the smoke started pouring from the windows of Guyton Street as the Spin Machine's gears attempted another 180 degree reversal. Seems another one of those pesky committees that isn't stacked with "senior" councillors gave the Diva the single digit salute. This time it's Haker-Bogan's lot telling Wanganui Inc to bugger off:

The Masters Games Organisation yesterday won the battle to have control of the Wanganui District Council's $40,000 two-yearly contribution towards the cost of the 2007 Masters Games. The council's sport and recreation committee voted strongly in favour of the Masters Games taking the money after receiving written and spoken submissions from Masters Games and Wanganui Inc, who were both vying for it...

A Games takes between $800,000 and $900,000 to run, and the District Council’s offering is $40,000. Committee members heard that the Dunedin City Council, in Wanganui’s "off-year", contributes around 90 percent of the cost of its turn at the Masters Games...

The subject of whether indebted sports – in financial trouble in other words – should be a subject of this committee was discussed briefly. It was suggested the sport and rec committee should stay with the positiveness of helping sports develop.

Positiveness?? Why use four syllables when there's the perfect four-letter single-syllable word for this: It's called spin, Phillipa.

The Masters Games folk were recently on the receiving end of a Mayoral spray for taking a "junket" to Australia - we imagine they're sheltering beneath their umbrellas for a deluge worse than the recent weather for snatching money from the hands of Mickey and the New Boys on the Wanganui Inc board.

With wastewater now estimated at $118.5 million, and the referendum pork-barreling needing to be funded, plus these miscellaneous expectations coming home to roost, are they going to be funded by more and more asset sales? At this rate Wanganui Gas will be on the block before we know it.

All these recommendations will hit the next full Council meeting on 3 July. We won't be taking bets on which pass and which are overturned. We're sure that councillors will follow the tradition of robust scrutiny and open debate exemplified by the patsy questioners showcased in the Mayor's Chron columns - this week none other than diVision stalwarts and members of the inner circle Gordon Keelty and Julie Morris (wife of Nigelwho).

Has anyone submitted a question to Mayor Michael Laws and so far not received an answer? Or had it rejected? If so, we'd be interested to hear. And if you're submitting one, c.c. LawsWatch - we'll publish it here so everyone knows whether it gets a reply and, if so, what that reply says.

Then again, we could be misjudging Mickey. Perhaps he needs the patsy questioners because, like his radio show, no one else is listening, or gives a damn.

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