Nominations are now open for this year’s local body elections. Time to ask yourself: Do I have a special skill or knowledge? Have I the ability to think strategically? Do I have a passion about solutions – and doing something about it? Am I a team player? Am I good with figures and can decipher a balance sheet? Do I have the time and am I prepared to give some to my community? Am I a good communicator? If you can honestly answer yes to some of these questions you should seriously think about putting your name forward for the District Council or Community Board.
An ideal council has a mix of experienced councillors along with some new blood. Experienced councillors are required to ensure that mistakes are not made twice or that time is taken grappling with ideas which have already proven not to work.
However long service can also lead to a councillor to become overly familiar with the position, thinking he/she knows everything and dismissive of new ideas. Without a regular change of some members a council can develop tunnel vision, sometimes in the wrong direction.
So, it is very important that at every election there is an opportunity for some fresh faces to be introduced. Bringing a new enthusiasm, new ideas, questioning entrenched views. It has been argued that a councillor is most effective during his or her second and third terms.
There are almost certainly some big changes to be made during the coming term. The Wairarapa Councils have already put one proposal to the Commission on our behalf. During the discussions on the Combined Wairarapa Council proposal some Masterton Councillors disagreed which resulted in a for and against argument – democracy in action. However in South Wairarapa all councillors were in agreement so information available appears to have been of a more one sided nature.
With only a ten percent of residents required to force a poll on a final decision it is highly likely that this will happen. A much more robust discussion in the run up to such a poll would be had if some members of the incoming council were in favour of being part of a super city.
