Keith Melville

I was disturbed to read in last week's Beacon an attack on one of the pillars of our democracy - freedom of speech.

I am referring to Mawera Karetai taking exception to concerns raised by one of our Whakatāne District Council mayoral candidates, Philip Jacobs, about cost aspects of the council's operations.

She seems to maintain Mr Jacobs has neither the right nor the qualifications to promote changes to the council's operational arm when that is the responsibility of the chief executive.

"Mr Jacobs might have some practical accounting skills", but based on what he has said "he doesn't understand the difference between governance and management".

That must be personally insulting to Mr Jacobs and could also be seen as an attempt to close down democratic debate.

Ms Karetai’s comments amount to a claim that management decisions should not be subject to scrutiny and debate if the proponent is not properly qualified.

There is a word for that. It is called elitism and that to me is a worry.

She is effectively telling us, the uneducated masses, to shut up.

I believe it is correct to say that the elected arm of local government is legally obliged to discharge governance issues while the executive discharges management issues.

But, as was pointed out in another letter last week, our councillors are required by law to exercise prudent financial management, and elected members are responsible to ratepayers for how money is spent.