Manukau City mayoral candidate Wes Taylor is being up front with voters, confessing to a business failure with the Bath and Dunny shop in Manurewa.
The 65-year-old mentioned the business failure in a booklet accompanying the postal voting papers.
The October 13 local council elections are the first timecandidates have been given carte blanche - in 150 words or less - to sell themselves. "I believe in having everything up front. I don't want to have any skeletons in my cupboard," Mr Taylor said.
He said the Bath and Dunny shop was a good business turning over $150,000 a month until former finance minister Ruth Richardson reneged on abolishing the surtax and destroyed his main client base of retirees. Business fell to $15,000 a month and the company went into receivership in 1991.
The second-time challenger to long-serving Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis has also assured voters in his profile that he has operated several successful businesses. These days, the former oil rig worker, who is hoping to improve on his third placing at the 1998 elections, does house renovations.
His profile says: "I believe I have good ideas and visions to improve Manukau City Council and, most importantly, deliver on the hopes and aspirations of all residents of Auckland City."
