Local election 2022: Hamilton mayoral candidate Geoff Taylor shares views on city's key issues

Hamilton City Council mayoral candidate Geoff Taylor. Photo / Supplied

Waikato Herald invited Hamilton's mayoral candidates to answer questions we prepared on some key issues for local body voters.

Name: Geoff Taylor

Age (optional): no answer provided

I live in: Grandview Heights, West Ward.

What skills and experiences would you bring to the role of mayor?
I've had two terms on council and am currently deputy-mayor. I'm decisive which is exactly what our council needs and also strong on leadership and forming a great team. I'm a former journalist, deputy-editor of Waikato Times and I own two businesses.

What approach should Hamilton take on the Three Waters Reform?
The approach we should have taken from the start – oppose it completely. In August last year I held a placard on a bridge to raise awareness of Three Waters. Four times I've tried to get our council to take a hard line on Three Waters and four times I lost the vote 6-7 with the mayor opposing me. Now it's almost too late.

Would you like to see Hamilton become a Super City, absorbing surrounding districts into one unified local body? Why?
Possibly unless we can find a better way of working together. Hamilton badly needs land on the periphery of the city for housing but bringing this land into the city is a long process. People need houses and we have as a region have to be more agile. We also need to be sharing resources and costs with nearby councils for such things as water and wastewater plants. If we can't find a way to get quicker action a unified body may be necessary.

What else – if anything – should Hamilton do to encourage more use of public transport, walking, and cycling?
I'm a fan of wider footpaths wherever possible to accommodate cyclists, pedestrians and scooter riders – and keep them off the road. In the short term we need to connect up our cycleways better and in the long term build off-road cycleways. I think insisting cycleways go on busy roads is a mistake. We should keep them separate wherever possible. I don't like our huge diesel-spewing buses thundering around our suburbs. We need smaller, electric shuttles buzzing around the city.

Does Hamilton need community boards with delegated authority and budgets? Why?
No, I don't think we do.

What new projects you would like to see the new council support?
I want to enable business to create a river precinct opening up Victoria St between the casino and the museum. Imagine a whole line of restaurants like Mr Pickles down to the museum, all looking over the river. If outside funding is found I want to continue to champion an iconic pedestrian/cycle bridge across to Hamilton East and lastly I want to see Ferrybank redeveloped into a thriving sporting hub for rowing and waka ama with hospitality options as well.

Why should people vote for you to become mayor?
I'm decisive and I'll lead a council that makes decisions to protect Hamilton's interests, not kowtow to Wellington. I believe our current mayor and council has essentially sold Hamilton residents down the river with weak and delayed responses to Three Waters and by not rejecting crazy plans to increase infill subdivision in our suburbs. I have vision and passion – I'm not a career politician. If residents agree with my vision to cost effectively redevelop our riverfront I think we'll end up with something the whole country talks about that will transform our city.