Tsunami of nominations expected after dribble

A few days ago, they were getting antsy ... the local government election officers, that is.

The number of candidates putting their hand up could be counted on the fingers of ... one hand, and worried messages were being sent out in a bid to rouse interest.

Wanganui District Council, for example, only had a mayor and a couple of councillors lined up. At least that would have saved us some money on salaries.

But the dribs and drabs (that's the number of people standing for election, NOT the people themselves) became a bit of a trickle and, with two days to go before nominations close, expect a mini tsunami of hopefuls seeking office.

I give credit to those who stepped up to the plate early (they can boast a certain efficiency if nothing else). They pinned their colours to the mast and put their stake in the ground.

Mayor Annette Main, Gordon Lambert and the Rate Restraint group at least had the courage of their convictions.

Of course, there are those who play it coy, perhaps perceiving some advantage in waiting till the final days before declaring their hand. But such political manoeuvrings are not really what we need in Wanganui. Openness and commitment count.

The Herald on Sunday reported former mayor Michael Laws - who stood down after six years in the hot seat in 2010 - giving "very serious thought" to standing again.

This was prompted by a "delegation of folk" offering their support rather than a Reader's Digest poll in June of most trusted Kiwis which had him among the least trusted - just ahead of Winston Peters, Kim Dotcom and Hone Harawira.

My tip is that he will run again, but I'm only putting a couple of dollars on it.

There are a number of sitting councillors also expected to make 11th-hour nominations. Apparently the paperwork for candidates is a bit more complicated this time. I hope they can master it before time runs out.