Budding mayors with tunnel vision
Nicholas Boyack takes a look at some of the more unusual and low-profile candidates running in October’s local body elections.
Ajay Rathod wants to turn Wellington’s Mt Victoria bus tunnel into a tunnel for cars. With nine hopefuls chasing the Wellington mayoralty, it is hard to get a mention and the Uber driver is hoping his catchcry will be a winner. ‘‘There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians, I will be the Indian.’’
In Lower Hutt, David Smith wants to be mayor. He plans to keep rates increases to a minimum by getting people to put the money they would normally put into gambling, into an investment fund for council.
Smith, who reads poetry at campaign meetings, is also pledging to end corruption, although he does not make it clear who is corrupt.
In 2016, he got 654 votes compared to Ray Wallace’s 20,585. This time around, he ‘‘absolutely rejects’’ the suggestion he has no chance and is standing to ensure his grandchild has a sound future.
The most unusual mayoral candidate could be Andrew Granthan Cox in Wellington.
His party affiliation is listed as ‘‘aaancp’’ and his cellphone goes directly to a crackling message saying he is getting rotten teeth removed and will be unreachable for six to eight days.
In Wairarapa, Graeme Farr is standing for three mayoralties (which he reckons is a New Zealand record) and is promoting the idea of a tunnel under the Remutakas.
It is an idea that has been around since World War II, with the most recent estimate coming in at a whopping $800 million.
Then there are the politicians that make little or no effort.
Stuff has run short profiles on all the candidates across the region. A surprising number, like Harry Kent in Upper Hutt, did not bother to respond.
Kent, a former city councillor who won a gold medal for cycling at the Commonwealth Games, also stood in 2016, where he was dead last, 3000 votes shy of being elected.
In Porirua, Mani Ah Far is running for mayor but did not respond to Stuff .A Google search takes you to a website promoting his mayoralty but it does not open.
He apparently works at Porirua City Council, where there is a video promoting his campaign.
It is easy to dismiss the likes of Rathod, Smith and Cox as irrelevants but Lincoln University political scientist Jean Drage believes that everyone has the right to stand and be heard.
People often stood as a protest and saw an election as their only chance to have their voice heard.
Drage believed it was healthy to have a range of views.
‘‘There is nothing wrong with an alternative voice.’’
And an alternative voice is exactly what Rathod is. He stands by his idea that the bus tunnel could be used by cars.
Congestion in the central city is getting out of hand and he says politicians need to think outside the square.
He believes the bus tunnel is under utilised and that, despite the scorn he has received from other candidates, his idea should be looked at.
It would be easy too to ignore Farr’s tunnel idea as well.
Farr concedes $800 million is a lot for a region like the Wairarapa.
He believes, however, that figure was for a ‘‘Rolls Royce’’ option and that a much cheaper and smaller tunnel is achievable.
By standing he hopes to draw attention to the tunnel and get it looked at once again.
Drage believes that in Wellington City a lot of candidates are standing out of frustration and anger with the public transport system.
One of those appears to be Cox.
His profile states: ‘‘I have strived over the last 18 months to help the council with their transport vows (sic).
‘‘I have now decided to dedicate the next three years to achieve the council’s goals. I make a significant contribution to dramatically cutting C02 emissions.’’
Who knows, if he can get his dentistry issues sorted, Cox might just be the man to fix Wellington’s bus woes.