Letters: Petition should have been tested

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The judge ruled that Dr Macpherson could not have someone join him as a petitioner, when he had just ruled that the [council] chief executive could join to have his interests protected.

He made the ruling after hearing council's counsel and Dr Macpherson's protest about the need for fair and public justice, but without hearing the co-petitioner application. He also ruled that [a co-petitioner joining] converted the petition into a 'new' petition and therefore had missed the deadline.

I have read the petition and submissions. In my view any judge would have found problems with delaying the 2016 Community Satisfaction Survey, information in the Pre-Election Report and publishing advertorials. But would any judge decide that these decisions had materially affected the outcomes?

No problem with the councillors' election. It only needed an additional swing of less than 1%.

But with the mayoral election, especially with the 'incredibly stupid' splitting of the anti-Chadwick vote, it needed proving another 7% swing.

By knocking out the petition applying to the councillors' election it became virtually impossible for Dr Macpherson to win the case, in my view. No wonder he cut his losses and withdrew the petition.

But it might have been smarter for the councillors against the petition and the mayor to let the petition be tested publicly to clear the air. The odour will, in my opinion, linger.

[ABRIDGED]
HARRY BRASSER
Rotorua

I wish to support letter by Peter Edelsten (November 22) and also our local councillor Mr Raj Kumar re rejection of any lights at Otonga Rd roundabout.

I live approximately six houses from the school. It takes me over five minutes to actually get out of my driveway and pass the school, trying to miss the car doors that open unexpectedly and also traffic coming up Otonga Rd trying to turn in the teachers' carpark, then of course you have the traffic coming straight up to do a u-turn at McDowell St, must not forget the traffic coming up McDowell St. This seems to be a problem of the school's twice a day.

What about widening the entrance to the park and the delivery entrance and make a loop road, thereby taking the traffic off the main road and maybe saving a child from being injured or worse.

DELZA BAIN
Rotorua