Text the editor

Mayor Feyen, please

The nine councillors of Horowhenua District Council who support the chief executive make the comment, ‘‘despite what has been an orchestrated campaign by the mayor and his followers to discredit him’’.

I have attended many council and committee meetings over the past three-plus years and have yet to observe any identifiable group of particular followers of the mayor, regardless of the issue, or any orchestrated campaign.

What I have experienced is a wide cross section of individual members of the public. I believe we have each formed opinions based on evidence of behaviour and attitudes that are disturbing and which are now starting to come to light in the media.

I don’t know most of the other people who go to council meetings. Those I have spoken with tend, as have I, to have experienced local government and democracy in other centres as their point of comparison. Mayor Feyen has earned my respect by the courteous way in which he chairs the council meetings and strives for openness, welcoming public feedback.

Only last month, after being mayor for over six months, I heard him ask the chief executive if in council papers, agendas etc, instead of being referred to as ‘‘Feyen’’ he could be referred to as ‘‘Mayor Feyen’’, as the councillors were named with the title ‘‘Cr’’ in front of their names. Yet the nine councillors and chief executive refer to extending him an ‘‘an olive branch’’. I haven’t seen it.

Constantly searching for consultants to review reports which are unfavourable, or quibbling about whether some findings are within the terms of reference, is not how I want my rates spent.

If there are red flags or wrongdoing they need to be attended to. And if some emails to Horowhenua District Council do have disturbing content, it can be dealt with by automated word detection, much as spam is dealt with on our PCS.

How can it be right for nine councillors to still be clinging to old allegiances, when we have a democratically-elected mayor, supported by the public for standing for transparency and for wanting to keep the pensioner housing?

Deborah Burns

Levin

Snooping concerns

I am extremely concerned by the recent events at the Horowhenua District Council. I am an elected member of the Foxton Community Board and during the last election I made it very clear that I wanted change in the way the council was conducting itself.

I was a supporter of the now mayor Michael Feyen, who I believed also wanted more transparency and accountability from the council. My concern is that it is alleged there has been interference with emails, have my confidential emails been accessed? How can I be sure that this has not happened?

The flip flops by the council over what has actually happened leave me with no confidence that I would get a straight answer.

Jenny Lundie

Foxton (Abridged)

One small correction from a man

I have read Tina White’s Saturday column since its inception and have enjoyed it every time, however, this time I’ve decided to burst into print and answer the question she posed on Saturday, July 27, ‘‘Do you remember the first Moon landing?’’

I certainly do and while Tina obviously does, she got a couple of facts wrong. The Eagle landed at 2.56 pm GMT (as it was), Sunday July 20, 1969, which made it 2.56 am on Monday July 21, NZT.

Neil Armstrong took his first step about 3am GMT, July 21, 1969, which equates to about 3pm NZT on Monday afternoon.

I was home from school sick that day, a victim of the ‘flu epidemic Tina mentions, and my mother and I listened to radio 2ZA and heard Neil Armstrong’s ‘‘one small step’’ etc.

Graeme Jenkins

Ashhurst (Abridged)

Call the accountant

What has our Horowhenua council and councillors got to hide? ❚ Anyone thought about duct tape to fix the gorge - just duct tape the dodgy bit back to the stable bit. ❚ New street lights are dim. People cannot see. Can’t even tell if you’re hot or ugly. ❚ I hope all those misguided David Bain supporters listen to the brilliantly researched Podcast Black Hands. Time to wake up, listen to the evidence, the probability, and smell the coffee. ❚ Seller’s market. Why don’t more folk sell privately. We have, and saved 22K. Our newspaper advertising, $450, and every household in Manawatu sees it. We control the open homes to one viewing at a time. Conveyancing was the usual $1500. Sold in first week. Try it? ❚ Since the visit of the Transport Minister Simon Bridges offered little comfort to distressed business people in Woodville, what exactly was his purpose? Just a photoshoot for the upcoming election? Some action on the issue would be a better way for the National government to get votes. C Cormack ❚ Ushers at the Regent do a good job – it’s the audience with phones who spoil the show. ❚ The big boulders in the gorge should be auctioned off. A bit of history on them. Look good in someone’s garden.

We, the ratepayers, have a legal obligation regarding council debt. If my memory is correct, when Commissioners went into Kaipara District Council, they immediately increased the rates to pay down the debt.

This caused untold trouble for those living on a fixed income, especially the elderly, many of whom had to sell up and move.

Since before the election there have been conversations, no, arguments, about the council level of indebtedness. The difference between registered debt and liabilities was stressed with registered debt being around $68 million, but liabilities totalling over $100m.

Now, I hear that registered debt is up to over $73m.

Maybe it is time for an independent forensic accounting report to be done on the operations of the Horowhenua District Council over the past five years. What would be uncovered? If there is nothing to hide then there is nothing to fear. So let’s get it done.

John Batt

Foxton (Abridged)