If Goff stands down: The case for a Progressive Auckland Mayoralty Primary
With Mark Mitchell backing away and if Goff steps down, the progressive politics Auckland conclave should seriously consider a Progressive Auckland Mayoralty Primary where the progressive Mayoralty candidates do 5 open meetings (North, East, West, South & Central Auckland) where Aucklanders and the progressive political groups get to hear first hand the visions for Auckland from each of the candidates.
While Shearer weighs up a run behind the Herald Paywall…
…a progressive primary would strengthen the candidates and build momentum and interest in the mayoralty.
Surely the days of Labour HQ putting forward a candidate is over and the wider progressive movement get a say?
Paula Bennett is now being begged to run, but the quickest way to screw over her candidacy would be to name all the state houses in Auckland she kicked tenants out of during Nationals insane meth contamination scandal.
Auckland is at a cross roads and unless Council starts making life radically easier for Aucklanders there won’t be a city worth governing.
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Auckland needs a tough executive type as mayor so sort out its woes. We’ve had a taste of ‘progressive’ in the form of Brown and Goff and look where it’s got us.
If a poll was run on the North Shore I would bet we would be overwhelmingly in favour of breaking away from the not so super Supercity because we’re sick of council bloat, incompetence and being a rates donor to prop up other deadbeat areas.
The Supercity was set up by ACT to be at arms length from the people with undemocratic CCOs etc. It was a corporatist fantasy of would be authoritarians and business elites “drinking Martinis, watching the sun rise…” Unfortunately for them South Auckland turned out and elected Len Brown, Banksie humiliated. And so it has gone on, centrist at best Mayors, but at least not a total right winger yet–though Goff’s bedrock monetarism comes close.
Auckland unfortunately is a bit of an ungovernable sprawling hole at the moment because of that legacy, a progressive Mayor is only part of the answer. Reforms empowering local area peoples participation and returning all assets and activities to public ownership and control are a necessity. A Primary is certainly a good idea though.
It was a real bastard that South Auckland turned out. Maybe we should look to some of the notions in the US for guidance. No postal voting, no early voting, Election Day only, just one polling booth for South Auckland. That should do it. NZ the Way Some Want It.