Dave Stewart

Alexander (Sandy) Milne deserves a bouquet for perfectly illustrating why we need to reject any plans to have any changes to having an autocratic mayor in our city.

In one sentence, he says we should be cautious about giving mayors more power in case we get one he personally doesn’t like. In the next, he argues it’s okay to give autocratic powers to one he does like.

I just wonder how he plans for our local democracy to change back to a mayor accountable to the elected councillors when we, the voters, elect a mayor he doesn’t want.

But he also gets a brickbat for his comments about Councillor John Pullar being the lone voice on affordability with regard to council spending.

I recall Councillors Toni Boynton and Nandor Tanczos, along with Deputy Mayor Lesley Immink, expressing emphasis on affordability in relation to the situation voting down Three Waters reforms has left us in as per Tough decisions over water services (Beacon, October 29)

My advice would be to always listen to both sides of an argument and take a position based on all the facts, not just the ones that suit you.

I was also going to respond to D Dawson’s letter with a “don’t be that uncle” comment over the Parliamentary haka but Erin Green and her The Treaty Principles Bill: A Pākehā Perspective opinion piece (Beacon, Wednesday, November 20)silenced that crowd with an eloquence that would leave Shane Jones reaching for the pause button on the hotel remote.