Clarification of election signs

Sir,

I wish to respond to J. V. Preston's letter in last week's Bush Telegraph about my use of the Pahiatua Main Street signs in the recent By-Election.

I believe there needs to be some clarification about my use of the signs as the letter has many anomalies that need to be be addressed.

■ The Main Street signs do not belong to Pahiatua-OnTrack. They were gifted to the Information Centre several years ago and are administered by them. All funds raised by the signs belong to the Information Centre.

■ Ratepayer money was never used to purchase the signs.

■ The signs were purchased by the Pahiatua Main Street Committee on behalf of the Pahiatua Community.

■ All the money used to pay for the signs was fundraised by the Main Street Committee. This included the Black and White Ball in 2001 and a grant from Eastern and Central Trust.

■ Pahiatua-On-Track played no part whatsoever in organising the signs for my campaign. I booked and paid for the signs myself at a total cost of $249 which I declared in my campaign expenditure returned to the Electoral Officer.

It is disappointing that this forum has been used to write a letter in an endeavour to discredit Pahiatua On Track and its chairperson, while bringing my election campaign into disrepute. A simple phone call to clarify the history behind the procurement and use of the signs could have prevented this entire debacle.

ALISON FRANKLIN Tararua District Councillor

Prior to publication of the first letter on this subject I was informed that Pahiatua On Track was a party to discussion of the erection of the message for promoting a Pahiatua-based candidate.

The issue is not of ownership of the three signs though, rather the use of them for political purposes which the letter-to-the-editor writers were entitled to present their views.

In fact, the byelection was for a Southern Tararua Ward member, not a Pahiatua one - Ed.