Len Brown has just announced on Q&A that he won’t stand in the next Mayoralty election.
Len has been a champion for Auckland and history should judge him far more kindly than the present. On Public Transport he led, on increasing culture he led and on trying to tackle Auckland’s long suffering housing problems he tried to lead. He let the Unions down by doing nothing about the Ports abuse of power but his inability to get the Government to take Auckland’s issues seriously were the seeds of his demise.
The despicable manner in which political sadist Cameron Slater in pornographic detail exposed Brown’s affair was a low point not just for Len personally but for politics and journalism in general. How the son of the Campaign Manager for the leading right wing candidate, (who met with the woman Len had an affair with late at night in a car park), managed to do all of this without any backlash against the right is a sad testimonial on what we as voters think is important and what isn’t.
Len has done his best, and Auckland should be grateful. The personal damage and humiliation he had to suffer at the hands of cyrpto-facists will forever change the nature of local politics in NZ.
With Len standing aside, the path is now clear for Phil Goff to make a clean run at the mayoralty.
Here’s hoping chch’s “mayor” does the same.
Here’s hoping John Key stands down and we get a decent anti TPPA man to take his place.
Key can take his government with him,they are complicit in ruining NZ. A. because they might gain . or B. because they are afraid of John Key.
The public will never vote for them again.
it still tests belief that Slater oil’s pappy’s role as chief of perma tan Pallino’s campaign which also included Bevan’s alleged friend Mr Wewege went almost totally under the radar–calling media–no one home
it was an achievement for Len to get the supercity mayoralty, not once but twice, that the legislation had stacked to favour Banksie and ACT with the CCOs etc, make no mistake the right are still furious about this
but Len ultimately had little class understanding and would not back the wharfies, he seemed by the end captured by the Auckland business lobby
I’m glad he has made this decision, and I wish Auckland would get a chance to vote for a more progressive candidate than Phil Goff. I worry who the right or right of centre may put up for a race.
Maybe Maurice Williamson after all?
Auckland City is heading into a future messy situation, should Council and developer and business lobby submitters get it their way with the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan.
Sadly most in public do not follow the hearings and what really goes on.
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