But there hasn’t been a lot of focus on how two other tickets fared – Labour and City Vision (which is Labour/Green basically).

Now C&R managed the following:

• 5 Councillors
• 32 Board members
• 3 Licensing Trust members
• 6 DHB members

So 46 reps elected.

City Vision only got a total of 12 candidates elected, and Labour got 14, six of whom are merely licensing trust reps.

So while not the result that C&R would have wanted, neither was it as bad as some media have made out.

Police are investigating a death threat against a political organiser in relation to a possible Super City voting scam in South Auckland.

Citizens & Ratepayers campaign organiser Jim Stephens received a letter mentioning a “hit list” and “shooters” if the right-leaning ticket did not desist from maligning “our winning candidate Daljit [Singh]“.

It was purportedly signed by “Daljit Singh supporters”.

Last night, Daljit Singh, one of two Labour Party candidates in the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board, was “100 per cent sure” none of his supporters had sent the letter.

I hope the Police test the letter for fingerprints and handwriting samples etc. Totally unacceptable to make not very veiled threats like this.

Police are investigating a possible attempt to influence the Super City election in which nearly 90 voters have been enrolled as living in two houses.

The Weekend Herald can reveal 48 voters are listed as living in one Papatoetoe home and 39 are enrolled as living in another property in the same South Auckland suburb.

This is an old trick in the more southern parts of Auckland, and has been exposed in the past through electoral petitions. I have no knowledge of the specifics in this case, but the electoral petitions in the past have shown this to be an exclusive Labour party activity.

Daljit Singh said Labour was not asking people to falsely enrol in the area to vote for him, and described rumours suggesting this was happening as part of a smear campaign.

He said several local Sikhs had told him C&R members had encouraged them to sign up in Papatoetoe, despite living elsewhere, and to mention Mr Singh’s name to arouse suspicion.

Mr Singh should get affidavits from these local Sikhs, and make sure they include the names of these alleged C&R members who said to sign up, and mention his name. If he is not willing to do this, well it makes you wonder that he is so quick to explain why his name is linked to this electoral fraud.

Daljit Singh believed some families from outside Papatoetoe could have mistakenly listed themselves as living with relatives inside the board boundaries, because their English was poor.

Goodness, for something which is nothing at all to do with him, he does have many theories about why it may have happened.

Of the 48 people listed at the Puhinui Rd address, 45 have Sikh surnames.

Owner Baljit Kaur said eight people lived at the home. She planned to vote for Daljit Singh and said her family and friends would probably also vote for him.

What a coincidence.

Electoral Enrolment Centre national manager Murray Wicks said it was possible for a large number of people to be mistakenly listed at the same address if enrolment details were not updated.

“However, we believe there are some irregularities, particularly in the Papatoetoe area,” he said.

“We have objected in writing to the individuals concerned, regarding their eligibility to be enrolled there.

“We’ve challenged the people involved and we’ll see where that leads us.”

If the voters could not prove they lived at the listed address, they would be removed from the electoral roll.

Asked if the irregularities seemed aimed at influencing the election of candidates to the Papatoetoe board, Mr Wicks said: “We don’t know at this stage. We have informed the police and they are undertaking an investigation as well.”

Well done to the Electoral Enrolment Centre for their vigilance. No matter who is behind this, I want them exposed and prosecuted. Sure it is unlikely that 100 extra enrolments will make a major difference, but there is no amount of electoral fraud which is tolerable.

Brewer’s stance dubbed ‘betrayal’

No, this is not a fall out between brewing companies, but in Auckland politics.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive and National Party member Cameron Brewer is taking on the Citizens & Ratepayers establishment for the Orakei seat at the Super City elections.

Mr Brewer confirmed yesterday that he was stepping down as the self-styled Mayor of Newmarket to stand as an independent candidate for the single-member Orakei ward against C&R’s Doug Armstrong.

A split between centre-right candidates could result in the seat going to Labour/City Vision. If that happens, those responsible won’t be popular. On the other hand, it is such a blue area, that even with a split, the prospect isn’t highly likely.

“This is a decapitation strike,” a senior C&R member said of the decision by Mr Brewer to challenge the right-leaning ticket.

“He is making enemies out of some of his closest friends. I’m pretty angry. John Slater feels betrayed,” the member said.

Mr Slater, C&R president, Newmarket Business Association chairman and former National Party president, said approaches were made to Mr Brewer last year about standing as a C&R candidate but he indicated he was past politics.

Mr Slater did not think Mr Brewer would win Orakei against Mr Armstrong, whom he credited with doing a “stirling job as chairman of the finance committee”.

From Fiji, where he is holidaying, the 67-year-old Mr Armstrong said Mr Brewer lived 17km away in Pt Chevalier and was “not one of us”.

“He is a worthy opponent, but a relative novice. I stand on my record on rates and delivering amenities, such as resanding of Kohimarama beach,” Mr Armstrong said.

Mr Brewer, a former press secretary to Auckland City Mayor John Banks and National Party Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, said he respected Mr Armstrong but the public were calling for new faces to bring a fresh and energetic approach to local body politics for the next six, nine or 12 years.

“I’m that person,” Mr Brewer said.

Time will tell. It will be one of many interesting races to follow.

Albany Ward

Linda Cooper is a current Waitakere City Councillor and was second highest polling in her ward. A former nurse.

Josephine Kim was the first Korean women to gain a NZ law degree

Albert-Eden-Roskill

Chris Fletcher is the former Auckland Mayor, and quite a coup for C&R that she is standing on their ticket.

Paul Goldsmith is a current Auckland City Councillor.

Franklin

Des Morrison, of Nga Puhi affiliation, worked for NZ Steel for 32 years and is currently on the Frankin District Council, where he was second highest polling in his ward.

Maungakiekie-Tamaki

Alfred Ngaro is a New Zealander of Cook Island descent and people tell me he is a real star in the mould of Sam Loti-Iiga. He has been active in the community sector for 20 years and has a huge network of people behind him. In 2009 Alfred Ngaro was awarded a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award for his contribution in the Tamaki Transformation Programme

Orakei

Doug Armstrong is in his third term on Auckland City Council and is well known in his role as Finance Committee Chair. A former CEO of Unitec.

Te Irirangi (Howick)

Dick Quax is also well known. He received 17,000 votes for Manukau Mayor and easily topped the poll for the Pakuranga ward.

Jami-Lee Ross is on the second term of the Manukau City Council, and is known for his tireless campaigning.

Waitemata and Gulf

Michael Barnett, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce CEO will probably be up against Mike Lee in a Battles of the Big Beasts. Michael has been a member of the Auckland Regional Council for several terms.

Whau

Noelene Raffills has been on the Auckland City Council since 2000 and was the top polling Councillor for the Avondale-Roskill Ward.

Not that I think it is a huge issue, but some try to portray C&R as all white men in suits. Of the 11 candidates, two are of Maori decent, one Korean and one Cook Islands. And 4/11 are women. Reasonably diverse.

1. Karen Sherry (C&R) 22,752
2. Warren Kyd (C&R) 22,129
3. Michael Buczkowski (C&R) 21,665
4. James Carmichael (C&R) 21,140
5. William Cairns (C&R) 16,793

The leftie Powerlynk ticket got votes ranging from 7,839 to 13,180 so it wasn’t even close. They actually lost the one trustee they had – Shale Chambers,

The centrist John Collinge led Just Power ticket ranged from 10,099 to 13,071 so also beat out most of the Powerlynk candidates.

There were 16 candidates, 13 of whom were standing on a ticket. Powerlynk got places 6, 8, 9, 11 and 14.

Whale Oil points out the Powerlynk team had prominent endorsements from Len Brown and Mike Lee on their pamphlets. Now of course this was not an election over the entire region, but it is a significant result all the same.

Cathy Casey from City Vision accused C&R of making diversity a dirty word at the Auckland City Council.

Aaron reveals that what she is complaining about is the decision not to fund a $12,000 cocktail party to celebrate diversity. And just to really have fun, he points out that C&R have five Crs and Community Board members who are ethnically diverse – two Chinese, one Samoan, Aaron (half Indian) and one Maori, while City Vision he labels monochromatic as they don’t have any non Europeans.

And for good measure he posts photos also.

Personally I think City Vision have a political death watch.  They’ve spent three months whining about C&R cutting funding to various politically correct causes.  C&R will just slaughter them in 2011 (if all other things stay even) by publishing the list of all the things they have saved the ratepayer from funding and how City Vision would have rates skyrocketing for their pet projects.