Vote for the blockhead of your choice
Disclaimer: that’s a Peanuts reference, rather than a comment on the quality of candidates. Ahem.
Nominations for local body elections closed last week, and the candidates are all listed on the WCC website (residents of other Wellington Territorial Authorities should find them on their respective council sites). While it can be argued that the choice of Mayor is less important than the composition of the council as a whole, it’s certainly the role that generates the most heat. So, here’s a full list of the mayoral candidates, followed by a call to action:
- Ray Ahipene-Mercer
- Paul Bailey
- Carl Gifford
- Rob Goulden
- Nick Kelly
- John McGrath
- Bryan Pepperell
- Kerry Prendergast
- Helene Ritchie
- Jack Ruben
- Nick Wang
Other than sitting councillors and John McGrath, I don’t know much about the candidates. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of comments about Kerry P on the Wellingtonista, and I’ve mentioned McGrath in passing on WellUrban, with the odd reference to Jack Ruben as well. But here’s your chance to comment sagely, speculate wildly or just generally vent spleen. Here’s a starter for ten: if you don’t like the incumbent mayor, who can and should get the numbers to unseat her?
Numero Uno? Numero no no!
(Issue two is out now, but I have been slow. All judgments below are based on the first issue. I’m not buying another one to see if it’s improved.)
When I saw the first issue of Uno on the shelves at the supermarket, I was hoping it would be the Wellington equivalent of Metro — on a good day, not all “Why your kids’ school will give you cancer and never let them buy a house” Listeneresque. But it’s not. It’s really, really not. Instead it turns out that Uno is every bit as advertising-copy driven as the Wellington Guide — without the advantage of at least being Welly exclusive. I suppose I should have known better give that Wellington’s official villain of 2006 is on the cover. After the jump, more reasons not to waste $9.95.