Porirua Wellington tensions
March 20th, 2013 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarAndrea O’Neil at Stuff reports:
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has been a dysfunctional embarrassment during super-city talks, and her council is selfishly crippling the rest of the region, claims Porirua City councillor Ken Douglas. …
Ms Wade-Brown all but derailed this summer’s super-city working party, Mr Douglas said at a Porirua City Council meeting on Wednesday.
”The mayor is dysfunctional. I tell you she’s something to be marvelled at. It is a total embarrassment to me to work in a party where she continually changes her mind and throws up other options.”
Since January Mr Douglas has been chairman of an amalgamation working party comprising mayors and councillors from Wellington, Porirua, Kapiti and Greater Wellington councils.
Wellington City Council at first refused to engage in the working party, but since joining, Ms Wade-Brown has done little but frustrate the group’s progress, Mr Douglas said.
”As soon as she sat down she threw sand and sawdust all over the process.”
The mayor further enraged working party members by criticising its findings the day they were released, on March 8.
This is not a right vs left thing. Ken Douglas is the former head of the NZ Council of Trade Unions.
What will be interesting to see this year is who stands against Celia. Will Labour put up a candidate??
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March 20th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
I have a neighbour who is a Greenie and she is just the same. She is on a Wellington community board and they are sick to death of her as she does the same as our Mayor, meetings go nowhere and take twice as long as they should.
It is a Green thing I am afraid.
Just imagine how much fun cabinet meetings will be with Greens in government, I shudder to think about it.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 2:58 pm
The Stuff article (now) has as its 2nd sentence “But the Wellington mayor says her opposition to a supercity governance structure has been consistent.”
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
It is a right vs left thing because Ken Douglas would obviously like to take money earned by ratepayers in Thorndon and spend it in Cannons Creek. And that is what will happen if the super city goes ahead. The mayor is opposing that, either because she is putting the interests of her constituents ahead of her own personal ideology, or because she didn’t get the memo that the green party is about economic redistribution not the environment. This is not a reason to look for another mayor.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:25 pm
“But the Wellington mayor says her opposition to a supercity governance structure has been consistent.”
This is reason enough to vote tactically to prevent a Labour mayor. Celia may not be an ideal choice for mayor, but she beats a supercity agenda option hands down.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
I’d rather have Celia as mayor of Wellington than Otaki being part of the WCC.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Wade-Brown is a very poor major, close to an incompetence point.
Vote:She won by fluke and must be thrown out next time round.
March 20th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
She’s an idiot and needs to go
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Airstrikes would be a good way of diffusing the “tension”.
Right over the Cannons Creek shops would be very nice.
http://www.carloslabs.com/node/20
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
“Ken Douglas is the former head of the NZ Council of Trade Unions”
He was also the leader of the Socialist Unity Party – a pro-Soviet domestic communist party. 100 million people were killed by international communism in the 20th century. Lest we forget.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Celia is a normal Greenpeace activist – bears no reality to anything except to object, and form a Committee.
Really does not know shit from clay.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 5:26 pm
The time is right in the Supercity, the would-be Supercity, and all other cities, for some pro-growth, pro-business, pro-family & anti-gween Mayors & Councils.. if only as some insurance against a left-wing Govt in 2014 (God help us), but more importantly to reinforce the progress being made at Central Govt level.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Ken Douglas is a highly experienced individual who has sat on many many Boards. Wade Brown has very little experience and has basically only sat in meetings of political action groups which are all talk and not much action. She would not have the first damn clue on how to get something done with adults. She might be better working with children at a play centre.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 8:35 pm
Thank Christ us sensible folk in Lower Hutt, led by our glorious Mayor (lowest rates increase in NZ…possibly the World) want nothing to do with the mad plans of the has-been Palmer, crazy Celia or Dopey Doony Douglas.
Hallelujah. There is a God and his name is Ray Wallace!!
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
@ Manolo
“Wade-Brown is a very poor major, close to an incompetence point”.
But but but she is not in the army Manolo
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
If you really want to piss Ken Douglas off, vote Manolo in as mayor for Wellington and watch the place turn to a complete shambles in a matter of days.
Vote:March 20th, 2013 at 10:54 pm
People in Wellington should not trust anyone who wants a super sized city mayoralty job position to become available to them.
Vote:March 21st, 2013 at 3:05 am
I love it when the Left argue amongst themselves *grabs popcorn*
Vote:March 21st, 2013 at 7:45 am
The gossip I hear is Wellington CIty Council are all for a super city, but Celia isn’t. Porirus City Council are all against but Mayor Nick is all in favour because he wants to be Super City Mayor after Fran Wilde retires from the role. In the meantime, the Two Hutt Councils are laughing – they’ve stayed right out of this and are enjoying watching it all fall to pieces.
Vote:March 21st, 2013 at 9:28 am
Porirua already IS a shambles.
Douglas needs to give up but like most if not all the others, the Porirua councillors see amalgamation as the city’s saviour from years of incompetent management and governance. And who amongst them led the rot? Ken Douglas. Porirua could be great, if it wasnt for the idiots that are elected .
Look at Larry Mitchell’s analysis of PCC’s performance
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