Today - with any luck, all combatants and bystanders can lay down their weapons, raise their arms (those who have remaining limbs) and take a break from the HAC mud wrestle.
For an "apathetic" town, the arguments on both sides have been surprisingly vehement. From heavy radio advertising in the past few weeks, to the collection of letters to the editor and snatched conversations in the streets and cafes it's the topic that wouldn't be allowed in carry-on luggage for fear of flammability.
People feel strongly and that, at least has to be celebrated - it proves we have a cultural pulse.
As an outsider (apparently four generations makes you a local), the debate hasn't seemed to be even-handed. The last time I questioned the cavalier approach that council was taking to the outcome of public submissions over the HAC, and the inevitable "ownership" that long-term unelected staff had over pet projects, I received a rather unpleasant visit from the CEO reading me my rights and, as an added bonus, his pedigree.
Some of the migrant community I work with, have questioned why the official line appears to be building the Hundertwasser - what the point of the debate is. They asked because Forum North and the library have been festooned in Hundertwasser images, models and flags. They have lived in regimes where governments have told them what they must feel happy about and when to feel that happiness in flag-waving enthusiasm, and the sight of public buildings pushing one line before a project has been publicly decided, jarred.
