Source: Taxpayers Union
21 AUGUST 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union says the dysfunction and shenanigans within Tauranga City Council shows why New Zealand needs local government recall elections.Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says: “In a democracy, it is a fundamental right to elect representatives and that should also include the right to remove ratbags, rascals and lame ducks from office, and replace them without having to wait for an election. Recall elections affirm the basic concept of ‘sovereignty of the people’.”“It is clear that the Tauranga City Council is not working. It’s likely that Tauranga ratepayers object to paying the salary of a Mayor who abuses colleagues in front of staff and makes them hate coming to work. Local voters deserve the right to recall mayors or councillors for misbehaviour or under-performance, particularly at this level of dysfunction. The people of Tauranga should not have to wait until 8 October 2022 to be able to say ‘enough is enough – go now.‘”“Putting in an effectively powerless observer will not fix such a huge problem. The people should have their say, not a facilitator,” says Mr Houlbrooke.The case for recall elections and a proposed system is set out in “Recall Elections in Local Government”, a new joint policy paper from the Taxpayers’ Union, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, and the Northern Action Group. The Union is urging people to contact Labour and National MPs asking that they include recall election in their election manifestos. Tauranga ratepayers can add their support to the campaign at www.taxpayers.org.nz/recall_option
