Andrew Little wrong about WCC's ability to govern up until the election
Labour Party endorsed Wellington mayoral candidate Andrew Little, also a former Labour Government Cabinet minister, has revealed he’s either ignorant about the ability of local government to govern right up until local government elections or, even worse, he’s purposefully misleading voters by playing cynical politics.
In comments to Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon, Little has bizarrely claimed that because there will be a new council elected in October that he thinks it wouldn’t be “ethically correct for this council to be signing off significant new contracts that will bind the next council”.
Sadly for Little this isn’t correct. Unlike central government where there are conventions that governments try to adhere to in the lead up to a General Election, councils can and do govern right up until their election day.
Little can oppose or want Wellington City Council’s Golden Mile project delayed all he wants. There’s nothing wrong with thinking that the project is a bad idea. Those are all perfectly valid positions for a candidate to take. He could even argue that if he were in the current council’s position he’d hold off signing anything until a new council is elected and let them make the call.
The difference here is Little is levelling a claim that the current council is somehow acting unethically in signing contracts for a project that they’ve consulted with the community, voted on, and are completely within their rights to progress is patently wrong. There’s nothing unethical about it. The council is getting on and doing something that they have a right to do. Little can think progressing it now is wrong, but calling it unethical is factually incorrect.
Unfortunately this seems to be a case of a (now former) Cabinet minister not actually having any clue about, or any respect for, the role and powers of local government is par for the course.
There’s a long running lament in the local government sector that we wish ex-central government politicians would stop trying to use local government as a retirement gig in an attempt to stay relevant after they realise their dash is done in Parliament.
As much as would like to believe that there’s a genuine wish to still serve the community, in this instance can only reasonably conclude that Little is either ignorant or - even worse - he knows the council is fine in what they’re doing and he’s being shamelessly cynical in spreading disinformation about the current council’s right to govern up until the election.
If it’s the latter, then he really should’ve just faded out of public life. I appreciate that it’s tough losing the public profile and perception of influence that comes with bowing out of politics, but if this is how you intend to get back into it, then you don’t deserve to be there.
For the record, I support the Golden Mile project. I don’t think it’s necessarily perfect, but it’s a lot better than what is a fairly run-down and dated part of the city at the moment. There’s a bigger issue around how we support businesses that are impacted by infrastructure or urban renewal projects (see for example the City Rail Link in Auckland), but at the same time once work is done those same businesses (and property owners) typically reap the benefits of public funds being spent in their neck of the woods.