The dust is settling on an intense, and at times, bitter local government election in the Bay and now it is time for our new, fresh-faced councils, to get down to business.
With new councillors being elected to all our councils, there is an air of excitement and probably atad bit of nervousness as they work out how to turn those election promises into action.
They have had months on the campaign trail to point out what their predecessors did wrong, now is the time for them to do things right and, most importantly, follow the mandate of the people who elected them.
There is much discussion after an election about the low number of people who vote and I reckon one thing that would fix it is making online voting a reality. But that is a subject for another day. Even though the numbers are not as high as they should be, it is always refreshing to see the decisive way people vote.
Sure, name recognition does play a part, which is why the candidates all tried to get the good spots on our main roads, but I have heard of many people who took the time to find out about the candidates and what they stood for. I like to think Hawke's Bay Today played a role in giving voters information to make informed decisions.
Just because you have elected people on to these councils, this does not mean your input is no longer required. It is, more so than ever. The public needs to have a voice and to tell the Bay councils what they want from them.
Over the next few months, Hawke's Bay Today is going start a dialogue on the issues of importance facing us and our councils. We want to hear your views so that we can discuss, debate, report and analyse the important matters.
