Who will People’s Choice choose?
January 16th, 2013 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarThe Press reports:
The largest political grouping in Christchurch’s local government scene says it is determined to unseat Mayor Bob Parker at this year’s local body elections.
People’s Choice has set up a 12-strong electoral strategy panel to oversee the selection of a mayoral candidate and to chart the course of the election campaign.
The group is represented on the Christchurch City Council by Glenn Livingstone, Jimmy Chen and Yani Johanson.
Chairman Paul McMahon said informal discussions had been held with several people and expressions of interest in the mayoralty called for.
The group wanted to announce its candidate as soon as possible but wanted to make sure it selected the right person for the job.
“We are going to pick someone who can win,” said McMahon, who declined to say when the candidate selection would be made.
He said the selection panel was conscious of the need to work with mayoral aspirants outside of People’s Choice if it wanted to avoid splitting the vote and giving Parker another three years in office.
Livingstone is considered the group’s most likely contender for the mayoralty, but there has been speculation it could back Cr Tim Carter for the job, even though he is not part of People’s Choice.
Whenever a political ticket includes the term “people” in it I recall the maxim that any country that has “democratic” in its official name almost invariably isn’t, and any country that mentions “people” in its name also almost invariably oppresses them.
Parker could well face challengers from the left and the right. It will be fascinating to see who steps forward in the next few months.
January 16th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
The busier the field for mayor, and they’ll be lots, the more Bob Parker will win. He has the strongest brand, and most voters don’t care about the petty political party infighting and the myopic disagreements of style, tone and decision-making in very trying circumstances. Most residents simply see a hard-working mayor and sniping councillors too focussed on him, than their own work for Christchurch.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
The trouble with the Mayor’s position in Christchurch is that it is undermined by the structure of governance in the area. There needs to be an integrated governance approach between CCC, CERA, the Mayor and Minister.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Yes, like People Power Ohariu. Most people pushing ‘democracy’ really want a ‘democratic’ mandate to promote their own agenda.
But it needn’t be so. I’d like to look at trialing some real people’s democracy in the local body elections, where a candidate(/s) pledges to follow the guidance of an openly democratic system that anyone can participate in.
Those in power won’t change democracy so that it might disadvantage them, so those wanting better democracy will have to find ways of making it happen within the current systems.
Anyone interested in working on something along these lines? This would appeal more to people who haven’t been political, the biggest challenge is attracting the apathetic.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Parkers toast at the next election…good riddance
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
re “Democratic” isn’t and “People” oppresses them
Surely you exaggerate. I just googled the pair of words and found such shining examples of freedom as
Vote:People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen
People’s Democratic Republic of China
People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
and finally I hit
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (ie North Korea)
On second thoughts you are right.
January 16th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
i wanna know if anyone is going to oppose brown len?
when are the elections? october?
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
So who do people think their candidates would be? Presumably they have one in mind? Anderton?
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Raising the jolly-roger:
“We need a strong Mayor now that is ready to go through the council like a dose of salts.
Vote:We need to ditch the current “Green” Mayor and our severe ties with the U.N.’s sun rises in the west sustainability ideology and urban containment “Smart Growth” garbage”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8181491/Mayoral-contest-soon-to-shape-up
January 16th, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Russian doll allegory: you open the “peoples choice” doll and eventually you find the Koch brother inside?
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Take anything involving Yani Johanson with a bucket of salt.
A quick look at their website shows that “People’s Choice” is merely a re-branded Christchurch 2021, which has (had) a recent history of being mauled by the Christchurch voters. Perhaps they thought that operating under a different name would see them being given more credit than they deserve, but I doubt that will happen.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Anderton is still sniffing around in the media as much as he ca .. can’t believe he won’t try again .. Dalziel has said won’t stand BUT she could be joshing and hedging her bets
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Anderton is too old, he’s a shadow of his former self.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
All it takes to unseat a mayor – any mayor – is to only have one opponent. Then everyone with any axe to grind votes for the challenger.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Well, I can’t say that I agree with that. If I was a Christchurch resident and “People’s Choice” were behind the only challenger to Bob Parker, then no amount of dissatisfaction with the incumbent would get me to vote for the challenger.
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Vote splitting for Mayor would be avoided under a preferential voting system, and consequently would encourage more people to run. For some unfathomable reason, preferential voting is reserved for district health boards, where more than one vacancy exists anyhow.
BTW People’s Choice was the name chosen for a centre-right ticket in the 2004 and 2007 Auckland local body elections, before it merged with Citizens and Ratepayers before the 2010 elections. Is the Christchurch ticket related?
Vote:January 16th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
campit,
no, the Christchurch version is a re-named Christchurch 2021 faction, left wing and generally unsuccessful.
Vote:January 17th, 2013 at 7:45 am
And to make it slightly more odd, a “City Vision” ticket has run in the last two local body elections in Christchurch (and had one Councillor elected). This group is nothing to do with the large centre-left grouping in Auckland, and is seen as being more right-wing than the main centre-right grouping in Christchurch (Independent Citizens).
Vote:January 17th, 2013 at 7:54 am
@FE Smith – how many people vote in local body elections are actually making an informed choice? I’m glad to see you are but I am very cynical about the process.
Vote:January 17th, 2013 at 7:57 am
Maybe David has also noticed a pattern involving political groups that include the word ‘national’ in their name.
Vote:January 17th, 2013 at 9:01 am
Lianne Dalziel will win, backed by the local Labour hacks led by Jim Anderton.
Vote:Te others are lightweight – but watch Buck.
January 17th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Christchurch is a hard town now. I gets harder every day. When Parker was on TV we just laughed.
Vote:But it wasn’t funny. He put in the hard yards later .
The new left in Christchurch are completely immature.
We vote for people who do things here, and by God as much as I did not want him Parker works hard.
January 17th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Paulus and others do not understand the shift to the centre right in Chriostchurch
Vote:January 17th, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Not sure about the Christchurch scene but i hear the earthquakes put that old fella Anderton out of the running last time. At least they are not stuck with our Luddite that rides around on a bike.
Vote: