(Abridged)
Bryan Archer
Tauranga
Stanley is wrong
How wrong, in my view, could Paora Stanley, chief executive of Tauranga iwi organisation Ngāi Te Rangi, be (News, August 8)?
He was quoted as saying, "You are not there to represent yourself, you are there to represent the people of Tauranga - and not just the people who voted for you, but everybody."
Really? A councillor is primarily elected to represent an announced, lawful point of view with any other consideration in second or lesser placing (which include legislated attempts to address various social issues).
That is democracy and what is expected of each councillor - pure and simple.
Clearly, based on the news coverage, councillor Andrew Hollis is the best organised of all of the councillors because he appears to have uniquely used his council-provided mobile phone correctly in that according to his phone's record there were no offending texts when submitted for scrutiny.
Incidentally, are those mobile phones distributed pursuant to any contractual obligations created between the council and councillors, like the scope of use, safe-keeping and return on cessation of councillorship?
Alan Trotter
Tauranga
Where is the foresight?
I agree with Jos Nagels regarding light transport passenger rail (Letters, July 31).
More than 15 years ago, the council asked for submissions for transport ideas. I suggested light rail using the existing rail corridor including the round trip to Mount Maunganui.
I named all the station stops from Katikati to Tauranga - lots with stations and areas for park-and-ride.
At the time there was talk of removing the rail corridor from The Strand. For a couple of years I was included in lengthy mailouts about transport problems in Tauranga and surrounding areas.
These have stopped coming but nothing has improved and I came to the conclusion the council cannot and will not think big beyond the immediate needs, and so the roading fiasco continues and our city CBD struggles.
Where are our councillors with foresight? Ask the question to yourselves about subsidised buses and bus lanes and do some comparisons and start looking to a future.
Karen Hicks
Tauranga
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