By ANNE BESTON environment reporter
One of the slickest re-election campaigns has already been run for this election even if it did go unnoticed by most voters.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Phil Warren has virtually assured himself of another stint as leader of Auckland's environmental watchdog after he took on oil giant
Mobil this year.
Demanding Mobil fall in with the other three oil companies and lower sulphur content in diesel for Auckland, Mr Warren waged a boycott campaign against the company complete with full-page ads in the Herald and appearances on prime-time television.
It was a publicity feast for the ARC and Mr Warren in particular.
Although councillors, not voters, elect the chair, even his detractors admit Mr Warren is a shoo-in in the aftermath of the Mobil campaign.
He has led the ARC since its inception in 1992 and rates as one of Auckland's most astute politicians. His gruff gentlemanly charm belies a tough hard-headedness and no-nonsense leadership style - the council's monthly general meeting is run with almost ruthless efficiency.
He likes to boast his council is "a beacon of consensus" in Auckland local body politics and it is true the ARC is adept at keeping out of trouble with voters - no unfair allocation of red-lid wheelie bins for this council.
Instead, the ARC spends its $71 million of rates on everything from creating havens for endangered birds to managing Ericsson Stadium.
Over an area that stretches north to the Kaipara Harbour and south to the boundary with the Waikato, the ARC's responsibilities include buying parkland, prosecuting polluters, drafting and enforcing marine bylaws, protecting coastal and heritage areas and transport funding and planning.
The council gets its rate-take by levying the other councils in Greater Auckland, something that rankles with other territorial authorities reluctant to take money from ratepayers that ends up in someone else's coffers. On average, the ARC takes about $150 to $200 per household in Auckland City alone.
Of the $71 million it has to spend in the 2001-02 annual plan, almost half will go on transport subsidies and planning.
And there lies probably the biggest reason a councillorship on the ARC is looking more attractive at this election than at any time in the past. A record 50 candidates are vying for 13 seats and many want a seat on the powerful transport committee.
In the pro-roading camp are Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett, former New Zealand First MP Gilbert Myles and former National MP Ian Revell.
Mr Myles calls Britomart "a sick dream" and wants to put the money into motorways. Mr Barnett says he wants to promote "completion of the roading network". Mr Revell, a North Shore resident, wants another harbour crossing.
Among those who want priority given to public transport include incumbents Mike Lee and Jack Henderson, who could be joined by health campaigner Sandra Coney, former ARC councillor Paul Walbran (both running out West) and former Western Bays Community Board chairman John Hill.
An injection of new blood for the ARC is guaranteed at this election with the retirement of three long-time councillors.
Fresh faces around the council table, each clutching an agenda close to their hearts, could make Mr Warren's "beacon of consensus" tag harder to hold on to over the next three years.
Feature: Local body elections 2001
www.localgovt.co.nz
By ANNE BESTON environment reporter
One of the slickest re-election campaigns has already been run for this election even if it did go unnoticed by most voters.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Phil Warren has virtually assured himself of another stint as leader of Auckland's environmental watchdog after he took on oil giant
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