Community committees Support democracy
The WBOPDC initial proposal sets out half of the change, with the detail left unstated. Elected community boards are gone and three ward community committees will be appointed by council. Roles and responsibilities would be determined by council. These volunteers will act as a partner to council and act as a point of contact with the community.
Effectively the community boards have been filed with divorce papers, no attempt of mediation or try to work through the issues in contention. Community boards are elected under the Local Elected Act and have legal right /responsibility to represent their community, and at times can have a different view of what the council wants.
It is this elected status the present council wants to get rid of.
In my 12 years on council, I have always been on the Waihi Beach Community Board and have had the utmost respect for their knowledge of the community and what is happening. Do you really think the council would appoint a group of people on to a community committee that were not sympathetic to the council view.
Please exercise your view though a submission to this review. Do you want elected reps or council clones? ROSS GOUDIE Waihi Beach Waihi Beach ratepayers and residents need to make their submission on representation to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council by this Friday August 24 with their view in particular on the future of community boards.
My hope is that you support the locally elected community board system and not have council appointed committees.
Think of this quote from the past “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
The structure planned by council with a boundary change will further erode your power to elect who you wish to represent the Waihi Beach community in council.
The community board structure as it now stands with a Waihi Beach Ward is the only democratic way Waihi Beach has formal (Local Government Act) representation into the council process.
Please support local Community Boards with a submission and tell Council, NO, Leave Community Boards as they are. Don’t take away our democratic right. ALLAN SOLE Chairman, Waihi Beach Community Board