Our Place The Way You Want It – A Five Point Plan For The Far North

Far North Mayoral Candidate, Laurie Byers, today announced the policy platform on which he will base his campaign to become Mayor of the Far North.

Laurie Byers campaign will be based on five clear principles, specifically:

• Attracting investment
• Capping rates and debt
• Financial transparency
• Empowering communities
• No more broken promises

Mr Byers said, “Our District currently faces a very serious situation. Three years of the mis-management that the current Mayor and his team have delivered has left us in a terrible state. We have rates going up, debt going up, Council fees going up, services eroding, government subsidies disappearing and our credibility outside the District is in tatters. It is time for experienced hands to set about fixing this mess.”

“We were told before the last election that local government was simple. The current Mayor told us that he could work one day a week and fix all the District’s problems, instead we have suffered through three years of personality politics.”
‘Local government is tougher than the Mayor’s team realised. It is about the aspirations and expectations of our communities, and that requires working with people, experience, patience and empathy.”

“I believe that I can bring to the Mayoralty the experience, and understanding of our District, to repair the damage of the last three years, to rebuild relationships, and regain our credibility,” Mr Byers said

Attracting Investment

Mr Byers said “The last three years has seen a complete drying up of investment in our District. It is easy to blame the recession, but the reality is that we are not doing enough and we have failed to put our best foot forward.”

“Despite what was promised, it remains far too hard to get a consent to do anything.”

“Leaving aside a very expensive and fruitless Mayoral junket to China, far too little has been done to promote the Far North as an investment destination.”

“As Mayor, I will change that. The Far North should be among the most attractive of places to run a business and invest. We need to stop arguing with each other and to tell the world what we have to offer.”

Capping Rates and Debt

“People voted for the current administration because they were told that the Value team were going to fix the finances.”

“If fixing things means rates going up next year by 10%, debt increasing by around 100%, and fees for consent processes going up, then I am glad I voted against this year’s Annual Plan.”

“As Mayor, it will be my commitment to stop digging the financial hole that the last Long Term Council Plan, dreamed up by the Value for Ratepayers team, dug.”

“I will cap debt at its current levels and immediately work to find ways to bring it down. Not another dollar will be borrowed without a solid business case supporting it and an acceptable return on investment arising from it.

“Similarly, when I am Mayor, Brown’s sneaky 10% rate rise the year after the election will be canned. We simply can’t afford to impose that sort of cost increase on our people.”

“A Byers Council will set in stone a commitment that rates will never increase by more than the rate of inflation. I will apply all of my local government experience to achieving this challenging goal.”

Financial Transparency

“The biggest criticism I hear about local government is that it over-complicates its financial reporting.”
“True accountability requires clear communication so that people can easily find out what their representatives are doing on their behalf.”

“I intend to strip away three years of bluster to uncover the facts.”

“Immediately on taking office, I intend to commission an independent financial expert to undertake a complete review of Council’s finances. There are too many unanswered questions from the last three years that need to be answered.”
“As Mayor I will also publish quarterly plain-English updates on the Council’s financial position. It is public money, and the public deserves to know how it is being used,” Mr Byers said.

Empowering Community Boards

“We were told at the last election that Mayor Brown was going to devolve as much decision-making as possible to community boards, and empower them to represent their communities,” Mr Byers said.

“Instead Boards have been weakened to little more than rubber stamps on minor grants, which is disgraceful.”

“Community Boards are the elected members closest to their communities, and under my leadership I will ensure that they again play an important role in Council processes.”

“Prior to the 2007 election a representative from each community board had a direct role in Council decision making. If I have the privilege of serving as our Mayor, I will ensure that they do again.”

“The people who represent our communities on the three Boards are far too capable to have their talents wasted in the way that they have been in the last three years.”

No More Broken Promises

Mr Byers said, “In the build-up to the last election I found it very disquieting how much nonsense was promised by our current Mayor. The fact that he knew nothing about local government has now been clearly illustrated.”

“Worse, though, than the promises that he was obviously never going to be able to keep but made anyway, were the promises that he could have kept but didn’t.”
“The credibility of our District has suffered as a result. Having worked my whole life to advance the Far North, I find this deception disgraceful.”

“My mayoral campaign will be based on my five principles, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that they are all implemented.”

“I can only hope that our District is never again hijacked by someone who knows nothing about how local government works,” Mr Byers said

“The Far North is a fantastic place with so much potential. If I am granted the privilege of being elected its Mayor, I will bring all my experience in local government, a lifetime in the Far North, and as a local businessman, to bear, to work with our communities to advance our place, the way you want it.”

“Local government is not a game, it should not be about egos, and nor should it be about self-interest. To me, it has only ever been about making a difference, and that is what I will do as Mayor,” Mr Byers said.