Democracy has died -funeral next Wednesday

At 6am Tuesday, 19th, Cr Gordon Cruden sent an e-mail to our Mayor. In it he mentioned that the Linklater Block was due to come up for debate at the next council meeting (following a 50/50 split in votes from the Recreation Well-Being Committee meeting) and asking her to defer such debate.

The Mayor responded that she was “not aware of any Major Late item for the council meeting, the matter of the Linklater Block will come up in the Recreation Committee report”, but did not respond to the request that the item be deferred.
First thing this morning a Notice of Motion was presented to council. The motions to be put are:
1. Reaffirm Council’s commitment to retain the Linklater Block as a City reserve for passive recreation, and
2. That the Linklater Liaison Group be reactivated.

Cr Gordon Cruden sent another e-mail to the Mayor again seeking her agreement to defer the debate. I understand he has not received a response.

At around the same time this morning that Cr Cruden sent his e-mail I sent my own e-mail to the Mayor. In it I state: “I respectfully request that you defer this issue and that no decision on the Linklater Block is made before submissions close.”

So, what’s the issue? Most of you reading this blog will know that I am personally opposed to selling the Linklater Block and want it retained for future development as a passive recreation park. What does concern me though is that we are still receiving submissions on the Draft Annual Plan of which the Linklater Block is part.

The points I made in my e-mail to the Mayor are as follows:
1. We are accepting submissions on the DAP until 20th May and are constrained by law to go into the finalisation of the Annual Plan with an open mind. This Notice of Motion prejudges the submissions and clearly closes the door to any submitters who may have other suggestions for the Linklater Block.

2. Our democracy is representative. Allowing this to proceed when fully one third of council cannot attend due to being elsewhere on council business is a travesty.

3. The proposal to reinstate the Linklater Block Liaison Group has not come before any other committee and the Papaioea Ward Committee, a full committee of council with arguably the greatest interest in the future of the land, has not had any opportunity to seek community views or even to put their own.

I believe that the reputation of our council will be seriously harmed if we do not defer the Linklater issue. You are well aware of my own position regarding this land so will be well aware that my concern is not one of how the vote goes, but is in fact, one of process.

Heather and the Quintuplets have set this up to occur at a meeting when they have known some months in advance that four councillors are, at council request, attending the NZ Planning Institute conference in Auckland and another is on leave. This does not matter in terms of voting as council business continues as long as a quorum is reached. However, it does mean that if the Mayor and her Quins have cajolled any others into thinking that they can breach the Local Government Act, Auditor General’s Guidelines, not to mention natural justice, then a serious mockery of the consultation process is about to take place.

I am absolutely appalled by the irresponsible and underhand way this group in council is acting. It is a worry that the Mayor chose not to respond to requests to defer the debate until after submissions close. I hope I am able to report before Wednesday that sense has prevailed and democracy has not been murdered by manipulation. I am not holding my breath though.