puff: puff 641 Wheeler's Corner

Wheeler’s CornerÓ

Connecting Citizens Who Care

"Broadcast every Thursday at 11.45am on Access 999AM" Contact Peter at wheeler@inspire.net.nz

27 5th July 2007

This Week: 1. About voting. 2. Tom Shannon offers a way forward. 3. Gordon cops a broadside: 4. A new CSO is named. 5. Gwen corrects an error. 6. At the café: 7. My God

1. Deciding who you want to represent you in council is important. Yet so often citizens opt for faces they know rather than other factors. Once a councillor has been in council for a few years their profile becomes known and this gives them a higher recognised image. Yet in real terms what we need to do is know some thing about what councillors have said or done this proves what they stand for. Behaviour is by far a more accurate measure of value. Many of our present councillors are poor at attending both meetings and events and appear to have little or no real connections to the citizens they are meant to represent. Attendance at council meetings or mayoral forum events is one of the key elements in understanding what is happening in our communities. Our representatives are elected via a ward system yet many of our councillors ignore and denigrate wards and ward committees, yet it was the ward that elected them.

Only the Mayor is elected across the whole city so unless she or he has a collective majority in council his/her hands are tied in real terms. My view is that councillors should recognise that when the citizens vote for their Mayor they are in fact voting for a style of leadership. Put simply, when citizens elected Heather Tanguay they opted for her ambition of ‘putting the people back into council’ which was directly in opposition to the Mark Bell-Booth style of ‘I know what’s best’. Yet the councillors when elected [three years ago] formed into two groups, one that said that they would support the mayor introduce and develop her goals of putting the people back into council, they were the minority. The majority who had strongly supported Mark Bell-Booths style [I know what’s best] set out to make the mayoral position almost impossible. Any body who supported the mayor and who desired to increase the input of citizens came under great pressure. This majority group also had the support of the then CEO. This was very important because he had the power to recommend and introduce or develop the ways and means to improve citizen participation. Committees like the Low Income Committee, Youth Council Activities, special advisory committees got the chop. Ward Committees were saved from the axe only because they fought back but they have been hindered over the last three years in fact Takaro lost its committee altogether. My double expulsion was but one extreme example of that pressure.

In real terms the tight eight has selected Jono Naylor as their choice to replace Bell-Booth. As a group they act as if the last three years didn’t exist. Some how this grouping has found the funding for this to happen, how else can you hold a campaign opening so early in the year. There is a strong but visible irony in Jono Naylor’s slogan of ‘uniting the city’ for he and the tight-eight crew has spent three years creating disunity. His voting patterns confirm this fact. If elected Mayor the chances of more and greater disunity will prevail. The possibility of this happening is strong because many of the tight eight could well be in their last year.

The reasons for standing are of course many and varied, but I would be deeply concerned if suddenly a whole bunch of property developers or their mates appeared as candidates. A key question for voters is ‘Why is that person standing? It is worth at least a little effort to find out about those you are considering voting for. What has a candidate done over the last few years in or out of council. In the case of sitting councillors you also need to ask ‘how have they voted’.

2. Fellow community builders,
"I am interested in the relationship the community has with authority and visa versa. How people engage with each other as community to resolve issues and generally make a better world. Somehow I imagine this is a topic of interest to you. I have recently come across some research and practice [Wisdom Councils] that offer something of a breakthrough in this area and I would like to share it with you, hopeful of applying it within our community. If you have a chance I would appreciate discussing the topic further with you". Kind regards Tom Shannon t.shannon@inspire.net.nz 063268628

A Wisdom Council is a group of 12 -15 people, chosen from an institution, city or province or any community of interest for that matter by a process of random selection. It is important that the members participate as individuals, and not as representatives of any group or special interest. This lets them think and speak from the heart, rather than worrying about what others might want them to say.
A Wisdom Council has no pre-set agenda. It decides for itself what issues to address and how to address them. With the help of a Dynamic Facilitator, it reaches a consensus statement on the issue it has chosen. This consensus statement is presented to the institution, city, or province in a public meeting, and then the Wisdom Council is dissolved. The public meeting starts a discussion that engages the broader community.
After a short interval - perhaps three or six months - a new Wisdom Council is selected, and it goes through the same procedure. It may address the same issue, or a different one. The ongoing Wisdom Councils stimulate a continuing discussion of issues chosen by ordinary people, based on consensus statements drafted by ordinary people speaking from their hearts.
Jim Rough, who is also the founder of Dynamic Facilitation, the facilitation technique used in Wisdom Councils, developed wisdom Councils. Dynamic Facilitation quickly helps people determine and resolve what’s really on their minds. The process builds trust, respect, and the spirit of community, and helps people find solutions even for seemingly impossible problems. See www.tobe.net and www.wisedemocracyvictoria.com for more information

3. Editor: When it comes to residential rates Cr. Gordon Cruden can be guaranteed to write the most awful drivel (Manawatu Standard 23 June). Extremely long winded but says nothing of any consequence. He and his so-called tight eight brethren are quite prepared to play "Pin the tail on the donkey" with our rating system which, by the way, has to be one of the fairest. Sure there are anomalies, there always will be no matter what the system but, and this is important, there are choices available. As Cr. Cruden obviously opposes unfair rates he would, by his standards, have opposed his 11%+ rate reduction over 2006/07 even though his land value rose $200,000+ by revaluation dates. Strangely he doesn't mention this; perhaps the vote was unfair and he should have done better. E Constantine

4. We have a new CEO, selected by the Mayor Heather Tanguay, Cr. John Hornblow, Cr. Marilyn Craig, Cr. Jono Naylor and Cr. Jim Jefferies on behalf of council as a whole. He is Mr. Paddy Clifford and he takes up his appointment in October 2007.

5. Gwen Morris lives in Awapuni and has been deeply involved in council affairs her understanding of the rules that govern local government is wide. She has a deep belief in open and meaningful consultation between the citizens and the council. In a letter to the editor of the Manawatu Standard she pointed out the history of the Palmerston North ‘Building Bridges’ grouping. The editor thought that this grouping related building a second bridge, a natural reaction for some one new to the city. He gladly apologised for his error. The point I’m making is this communication between the editor and Gwen corrected a point of fact. The value of talking to each other is highlighted by this event. So writing a letter to the editor expressing a view or correcting an error in a publication is a very important role for citizens.

6. Café News:

‘I see there are three in the mayoral race’ said a man dressed in a yellow and black safety jacket as he sipped a flat black.

‘Yeah, Jono Naylor, Michael Feyen and now Heather Tanguay’, said a young woman wearing a long black coat and scarf.

‘Of course there may be others waiting in the wings, but the present three have one thing in common’.

‘What’s that? She asked, as she scooped up a spoon full of froth from her flat white.

‘Well, all three were at some time social workers’ he said airing his knowledge.

‘Is that the reason why there is a shortage of social workers’ she asked earnestly.

‘I don’t know, he said, but at least all three should be able to communicate with boy racers, so maybe we should decide on who communicates best’.

‘Gee that’s deep’ she uttered.

‘Got to go now, I see a motorist who parked without putting money in the meter…Oh, by the way are you going to the Mayoral forum on booze and young people tonight? He asked.

‘No, why bother, council will simply cancel another service like the ‘Street Van’ service or the Adult Learning Centre to pay for whatever they decide…none of my friends are going.

7. My God says. If they shut the take away outlets at the same time as the shut the booze sellers there would be no reason for people to hang around the Square.

Peter J Wheeler

Wheeler@inspire.net.nz

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really?

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and, click...

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Thinking...

Dreams...

Bodies

Money, money...it doesn't talk, it screams...

Feed the fowls?

Sleeping?

Got your Direction?

Skin?

Lonely?

Any enterprise needs workers...

Travelling?

Sleepy?

Wanna play Wii?

It was a night, just like any other night...

Did you tell me to stay cool until after school?

Going down to the station? Got your suitcase in your hand...

Call me...

I thought we could go to a film after the game...

Marianne Faithfull- As Tears Go By 1965

Rods?

Rolling Stones- Angie

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What is going on in the music scene?

Last Gasp Cafe 14...

Get up and go? Where to?

Gwen Stephani- The Great Escape...

Coffee? Orange juice only from 10.30, Dude...

Last Gasp Cafe 13...

I have GOT to lose weight...

Bob Dylan- Like a Rolling Stone 1966

SERIOUSLY, I HAVE to lose weight...

Requiem for Erika Ortiz :^: Broken Road

Have to DO something about my skin...

Pink Floyd: The Mind's Eye

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Lady so Far :-: for Tyra Banks

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C.C.Catch - Backseat of your Cadillac

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just then the computer started to play up...

Last Gasp Cafe 8

Good morning...

Jim Carrey - Standup Routine - Comedy Store (1996)

I've got this, like, really oily skin...

What was that?

Last Gasp Cafe 4...

Good deed done for the day... every day...like a roller coaster...

Last Gasp Cafe 15: Concert for Donnie Darko

I tried to lose weight in a New York minute and nearly got lost...

Last Gasp Cafe 2...

I went to bed with a book...

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To sleep perchance to...

Cheltenham is on...

BQ on B :-: Brazilian Queen on Beale St

The Lady was talking to Tee about opportunities on the net...

but Throg was dreaming about a back rub...

Throgmorton woke up and thought about an ipod...

Colin for Mark...

Chickenman woke up thinking about Bob Greene and Oprah...

Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter(Pop Go the Sixties) 1969

I thought about my business opportunities...don't count your money till the dealings done...

Sweet Miss Jay- Angelina Jolie...

I attended to what was left of the business and did my Sporting Index chores...

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she mentioned Zwinky...

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Rolling Stones- Sympathy for the devil. Live in Rio 2006

things got serious and we talked about Finance Box Houses...

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I told her about Bonprix, classy? well yes...

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Voip? for sure I said...

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we played at the Red Casino...

we flew Siesta...

we met each other again on Yahoo Personal...

Dating?

just having fun on Gameplay actually...

we listened to Attic Jam...

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and how about the new album from da Red Hot Chilli Peppers...

you can buy these with a Post Office Credit Card she told me over lunch...

and in the afternoon we flew away on HLX...

I noticed that she wore Nikes...

we booked a lovely place to stay through Cottages...

Radio Story aka The Story Continues...

she looked stunning in her Contessa gear...

Deftones at Taste of Chaos - RX Queen w/ Street Drum Corp

we listened in the dark to Beck...

she declared that she would vote for Hilary Clinton...

me, I want more of Mate-dating...

we discussed our bodies and Hoodia...

then she told me about another way to lose weight...
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me being more of a car person I clicked on Auto Loan...