Todd McClay's home electorate billboards suggest his mind may be elsewhere. Photo / Supplied
Todd McClay's home electorate billboards suggest his mind may be elsewhere. Photo / Supplied
There's some things we never forget, minute details that no longer play any part in our lives, yet are still engraved into our brains. For example, I can still remember my Nana's old phone number, no doubt thanks to her pointing out to this astounded 8-year-old that the number wasthe same backwards as it was forwards. Another pointless piece of information I remember is every mailbox I used to drop a copy of the Daily Post in on the old paper round, information that will never serve a purpose again, but is still seared into the old noggin.
I assumed that no matter how busy you get, there are some things you never forget. It was reported recently that local MP Todd McClay has taken 251 international flights since the last election, assuming each trip means an average of 1.5 days on international soil, McClay has spent at least 40 per cent of his time away from Rotorua since the 2014 election (not including time in Wellington). It was this fact combined with the fine print on McClay's billboards around town that made me realise, maybe you can forget things which once seemed too obvious. McClay's forgetfulness in this case is how to spell Rotorua. The authorisation statement on McClay's billboards spells Rotorua as "Roturua".
When you forget how to spell your own electorate, it's little wonder McClay also forgot about increasing homelessness in his own electorate, or maybe he didn't notice it as he's just not around to see it?
RYAN GRAY Rotorua
The red light issue desperately needs addressing. On any given hour of any day, we all have a story of close calls with a red light runner or three - been there, done that, nearly wore his T-shirt.
If I won Lotto, I would buy cameras for every traffic light intersection in Rotorua. Failing that, I've heard of a place in England where trusted volunteers man the traffic lights and jot down and take digital evidence of number plates as they run a red light, then give the evidence to the local Bobby to prosecute. Yes, I would walk the talk if volunteers were called for.
