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From:  "Jill Johnston" <jillj303@statesight.com>
Subject:  YOUR DEBT Bob
Date:  Thu, 17 Nov 2005 04:46:55 -0500
>Hi Bob,
>Wipe all your debt away and have a clean slate.
>Get your finances back in order and improve your
>quality of life.
>
>http://statesight.com/fort/index.htm
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>http://statesight.com/index.html NoMorePlease
>Ad From
>16 Thirty 30TH Str.eet PMB one eighteen Boulder colorado eight zero three zero one
>Don't step on that grating, Michael
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>A chilly zephyr of fiscal reality is starting to tickle the delicate ankles of Council, and is about to become a full-blown cold wind up its skirts, it seems. We have it on no less of an authority than the Diva himself that yes, Wanganui is to borrow to fund the Splash and Riverfront development. In his latest column, he reveals:
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>I have suggested borrowing the money now so as to complete the projects. Then to repay both the principal and interest from the ongoing sale of the assets identified... Those proposals go before Council's finance & expenditure committee next week and I expect them to be passed, the capital raised, and the projects to commence early in the New Year.
>What assets, Michael?
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>What was made clear - both in the lead-up to the referendum and in the2005/06 Annual Plan deliberations - was that the sale of surplus or under-performing assets (primarily, land) would go to fund the capital projects. That process is currently occurring.
>Yes... so... just what assets? No? Will these sales meet the estimated $4 million shortfall for the Splash centre, let alone the Riverfront? Where's the $6 million to bring the Sarjeant up to a minimum acceptable standard (not improve or extend it) coming from? Hello? We feel another LGOIM Act request coming on. Meanwhile...
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>With inflation increasing and building inflation escalating by as much as 20% a year, it is actually possible we will save the ratepayer by completing the projects now, rather than in two years time.
>It's possible you'll save money? It's also possible LawsWatch will win Lotto on Saturday, but we're not committing to the $4 million extension on the cave till we actually know for sure.
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>..the needs and expectations of the community are that these projects should be concluded as soon as possible. And I agree with that sentiment. They should. We voted an additional $120,000 for footpath renewal and repair in the 2005/6 Annual Plan, but the Splash and riverfront developments require greater investment.
>Exponentially greater, yes. Thirty-four times greater just for the Splash Centre. We don't know if anyone can be said to actually need a bigger swimming pool, but the community's expectation that it will happen is certainly high; made that way by a referendumb that offered a choice of baubles - from bigger pools to bigger galleries - without discussing how any of it might be paid for.
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>We await with interest the spin to explain just how "borrow and hope" is a more responsible financial management strategy than "spend and hope" (that forestry investments will pay off). And more on that later.
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>posted by Laws Watch @ 2:43 PM 19 comments
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>Wednesday, November 16, 2005
>Hanging the Mayor
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>There's been a bit of confusion over the provenance of the Mayoral portrait Gallery now gracing Council, so we thought we'd set the record straight and at the same time look at an interesting piece of Wanganui history which resonates down the ages to the present day.
>Our understanding is that none of the Mayoral portraits were hanging in the chamber, or anywhere for that matter, till the Diva had them all printed up and framed and put there early this year. This is confirmed by Council's 4 April Minutes which state that:
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>This year the Chamber has been enhanced with the installation of 25 portraits of former Wanganui Mayors and the Peter McIntyre painting 'Wanganui. Mayor Laws also proposes that funding be provided for the commissioning of an artwork to tell the story of Wanganui, within the Council Chamber, and that funding be provided for the commissioning of a carved Maori entranceway to the entrance of the Chamber.
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>The addition of the sitting Mayor was a more recent event. The work apparently was done by the museum and a councillor (Watchers cannot recall which one) once asked how much it cost. The answer was that "it had been done by the museum". Said councillor then pointed out that there would be an internal cost, but the matter was never heard of again. But the same Minutes do provide some information on the cost of other alterations to the building:
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>$40,300 for enlarging Committee Room 2 improving access by removing the wall between it and the adjoining office. Some additional work for sound proofing, lighting and new carpeting.
>$33,700 for further developing the Council Chamber "as a formal and official reception facility available for civic functions" and, intriguigly, to remove "raised floor and benches and the media booth to be developed as a servery". We can't wait to see Sean Hoskins in a pinny, serving the sausage rolls. At last, a worthwhile function for Chron staff attending Council meetings, since reporting what actually goes on doesn't seem to be on their agenda.
>Those Watchers who know the story of one former member of the great and the good gracing the Council's walls, one Charles Mackay, were delighted to see him in the line up. Many a joke is made in the bleachers at council meetings about what a wonderful precedent it is that at least one mayor has already been sent away for a bit of hard labour.
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>Mackay was young, having been elected to the Wanganui Borough Council aged 30, and to the Mayoralty a year later. He was also regarded as clever, having gained a BA at the age of 19 and an LLB six years later. And he had a bit of a problem with a few members of the local artistic fraternity, one of whom (a young poet by the name of D'Arcy Cresswell) he shot:
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>It was then that Mackay invited Cresswell to visit the Sarjeant Art Gallery privately with him on the Friday. As a founder of the gallery, Mackay had his own key, and inevitably they must have spent time at the gallery's pride and joy, its marble reproduction of the ancient Greek nude "Wrestlers". Mackay took Cresswell back to his office, and showed him his collection of (female) nude photographs.
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>What exactly happened then is shrouded in Cresswell's self-serving account (signed by Mackay), but Cresswell demanded that Mackay resign as Mayor, or else be exposed as a "pervert"... At half past nine on the Saturday morning, in Mackay's office, Cresswell gave Mackay a week. Mackay pleaded for hours, threatened suicide, begged Cresswell to spare his family. Cresswell forced him to write a confession, then, after further bargaining, a letter of resignation to be held in safe keeping for a month. They turned to leave. "This is for you!" shouted Mackay, and shot Cresswell in the chest. Then he put the revolver in Cresswell's hand to give the appearance of suicide.
>While we haven't seen the Diva waving any artillery around, there are other fascinating parallels with the present. Yes, even airborne furniture:
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>As he was leaving, the "dying" man rose and pointed the revolver at him. Mackay slammed a door between them. Cresswell could not open it, so he flung a chair through the window and called for help.
>Mackay claimed the revolver had fired accidentally when he was showing it to Cresswell, but the chair through the window meant even the local police could see through that story.
>Mackay eventually pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 15 years hard labour. He served seven, during which he was declared bankrupt and divorced by his wife. Wanganui's Mackay Street was promptly renamed Jellicoe Street, and his name was removed from the Sarjeant Gallery's foundation stone. (It was replaced in 1985). And still the eerie coincidences continue. Mackay had a problem with the local newspaper, it seems:
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>[During the trial, Mackay's] lawyers said he had sought treatment from doctors and "metaphysicians" (presumably clergymen) for "homosexual monomania". As well as Cresswell's harassment, Mackay had seen his lawyer the day before the shooting about an item in a local newspaper that "threatened him with exposure".
>And as if that's not weird enough, what did the disgraced Mackay do when he was released? Went to England and became a journalist.
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>The Wrestlers are still there in the Sarjeant. The story was the basis of a book by Maurice Gee published last year, The Scornful Moon. Though it was reworked and set in Wellington many of the characters are recognisable including a woman painter based on Edith Collier, whose collection is held by the Sarjeant and who has a permanent bay there dedicated to her works. The possibility of the Collier family pulling the collection out of the Sarejant amid the Mad Mayor's ravings and threats strikes terror into the hearts of those who worry about the city's reputation as an arts centre.
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>So while one Mayor of Wanganui shoots someone over the works at the Sarjeant, his successor 85 years later shoots his mouth off on the same topic. Spooky, possums, as Dame Edna would say.
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>Comments on this post are now closed.
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>posted by Laws Watch @ 4:08 PM 41 comments
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>Tuesday, November 15, 2005
>Not Bloody Rigorous
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>The National Business Review must have been subjected to some Diva Devotion Potion while they were here. "A nil rates rise", they proclaim, forgetting to mention the rates increase for businesses. "Referenda" they cheer, pom-poms flailing, ignoring the funding shortfalls which effectively make the referendum little more than a "close your eyes and make three wishes" exercise.
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>In fact, for a Business Review they don't ask many business-like questions, such as "where's the money coming from, Michael?", or "Why are you advocating borrowing for capital projects when Wanganui is already uncomfortably close to its debt limit, Michael?"
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>Perhaps, as they stumbled from a long lunch, they were grateful to receive a little note from Helen; "Here's your editorial," she might have told them. "Just pad it out a little and you can take the afternoon off. Kowhai Park is lovely at this time of year."
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>NBR has long been the entertainment arm of the Business Round Table. So we wonder why editor Nevil Gibson and the crew suddenly decided that borrowing is okay when none other than the Governor of the Reserve Bank says it's silly in their own pages. And why a Mayor who sees one of the key issues facing Wanganui as "Council intervention � what happens when the market fails" (in his address to the recent Retreat) is suddenly in tune with their thinking. And why business should shoulder increased operating costs, in the form of rates, to pay for a populist popularity campaign.
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>Clearly, the smoke and mirrors worked overtime during NBR's fleeting visit, and they obviously had the desired effect. NBR left Wanganui having investigated nothing, arms loaded with press statements (carefully pruned of anything with which they'd be likely to disagree) and without speaking to anyone opposed to the Diva (or if they did, singularly failing to report such conversations, or indeed the existence of any rational opposition at all).
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>While Council, and the mayor in particular, are crying poor when it comes to staff health and safety issues at the Sarjeant Gallery, it seems borrowing is writ large on the agenda for other projects, especially the gold-plated swimming pool. And why, Nevil, didn't you ask just how this mayor defines a nil rates rise, and why businesses have been hit with anything but a nil rates rise.
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>While ducking their responsibilities for the release of information - more about that later - the new flavour of the month for Wanganui District Council seems to be the old saw: "Don't hate the media, become the media".
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>Comments on this post are now closed.
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>posted by Laws Watch @ 4:05 PM 24 comments
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>Monday, November 14, 2005
>A cautionary tale
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>One evening, just as the sun was setting, Old Father Time called to Dotty and the other little Visionite children. "It's time for a story," he said.
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>"Oh, will it be one with a moral, like all the stories you tell us?" asked Dotty excitedly.
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>"Indeed it will," said Time. And here is what he said...
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>"Once upon a time there was a man called Neil Kirton. Widely thought to be quite clever, he had a first-class honours degree in science from Otago University and a successful career in the health sector. He was business and contracts manager with Health Care Waikato, had been general manager of Princess Alexandra Hospital in Napier and was divisional manager of the Rehabilitation League in Hawke's Bay. He was even a former advisory officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, and was previously director of the Eastern and Central Trustbank Community Trust.
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>"He wasn't particularly exciting - nondescript was what people called him, when they thought of him at all - but he was competent.
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>"Then one day he met a man called Mickey. So enamoured of Mickey did he become that he even led Mickey's 1993 campaign to be re-elected to the Palace of Fools - a special place where much gets said but little gets done.
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>"Like Guyton Street?" interrupted Dotty, sucking her thumb.
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>"Exactly like Guyton Street, only there was a greater ratio of IQ points amongst the inhabitants of the Palace of Fools," sighed Old Father Time, looking despairingly at Rangi, who was staring cross-eyeed at the end of his nose again.
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>"Anyway, when it came time for Mickey to plot his coup, he decided to reward Neil's loyalty. So, out of nowhere, Neil went from candidate, to MP, to minister outside Cabinet even though no one had ever heard of him or any of Mickey's other minions like Deborah Morris and Robyn McDonald."
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>"Who?" asked Dotty, looking confused (but then she usually does).
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>"Exactly," said Old Father Time, somewhat cryptically, and then continued. "Many thought young Neil had a shining future under Mickey's guidance."
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>"Just like us!!" squealed Dotty excitedly, before blushing and hurriedly excusing herself.
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>"Neil was the Associate Health Minister, and doing very well for himself. But Mickey had convinced him that he needed to be nearby to tell Neil what to do and say. Trouble was, Mickey's membership of the Palace of Fools had been revoked for telling fibs, so do you know what he did, children?"
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>"He offered them a dishwasher if they'd let him back in?" posited Muzza, the dim boy who was always exploring his nose.
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>"No, Mickey got Neil to take some of the money they'd collected from the peasants and pay him $1000 a day to whisper in Neil's ear," Time related.
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>"Ooooo," squealed Dotty, just back from whereever it was she'd had to rush, quickly crossing her legs, "wasn't Neil such a lucky boy! Having Mickey there all day every day, telling him what to do! We don't get that," she pouted. "So did Neil get more and more and more powerful? Is he King of the Palace of Fools now or something?"
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>"Alas no," replied Time. "Alas for him, anyway. For the rest of us it was a narrow escape. No, within a year Neil had gone from shooting star to black hole. He'd lost his Ministerial office, was a backbench MP, and at the next election he disappeared altogether. Some say he was expelled from the Palace of Fools forever, and forced to work for a living!"
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>At this, the assembled Visionite children gasped in unison - a sound much like several of Muzza's vaccuum cleaners bursting into life simultaneously.
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>"But... why?" asked Dotty, shocked. "With Mickey telling him exactly what to do and say, he would have been the biggest bestest most amazing success!"
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>"Well, it didn't take long till Neil was running his office in the Palace exactly the way Mickey had run his before he got told he had to leave. He started arguing with everybody, and then he was caught giving $250,000 of the peasant's money to an advertising agency run by his brother-in-law. The same agency that had provided free advice to Mickey's party during the election. And without going to tender."
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>"My goodness!" said Don, standing up and saluting for no particular reason. "That's awfully naughty, isn't it? If I'd been there, I might have even muttered something under my breath!"
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>"Gosh Donny, you're awfully brave!" said Dotty. "So what did Neil do? Did he admit he'd been a silly boy and try and make friends with everyone again?"
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>"You forget he was being advised by Mickey," cautioned Old Father Time.
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>"Ohhhh... so he just threw a tantrum and blamed eveybody else?" asked Dotty, catching on quick for once.
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>"Well his boss at the Palace, a much more experienced courtier called Winston, told Neil to be quiet and let him sort it out. But Mickey whispered that he should talk to everyone - specially the media, because Mickey loves the media. So Neil gave three interviews."
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>"But any publicity is good publicity, even if it shows you getting hives or not knowing the answers to some pretty basic questions, or that no one listens to your radio show" asserted Nicki, whose only achievement to date had been her extraordinary ability to repeat everything Mickey had told her, word for word.
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>"Not in this case," said Old Father Time. "Neil uttered some nonsense about his 'principles and those of the people who collectively elected me to Parliament [being] more important than pecuniary reward', and was sacked."
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>"That sounds like something Mickey said when he got caught hiring relatives to do his polling and telling fibs about it..." said Rangi, a brief frown crossing his brow and interfering with his ability to focus on the tip of his nose.
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>"Well ironically Neil said those words in the very same room that Mickey used to say goodbye to his friends in the media when he had to leave the Palace. Which was fitting really, since everyone had warned him that Mickey would be his downfall. And that, children, is the end of tonight's story," said Old Father Time, closing once more the (very thick) book of The Adventures of Naughty Mickey.
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>"But," said Dotty, looking puzzled as she settled down to sleep, "you usually end by saying 'and the moral of the story is...' You didn't say it this time. And I can't for the life of me see the moral for us in that story."
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>"I never thought you could," said Old Father Time, even more cryptically, as he blew out the candles.
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>Comments on this post are now closed.
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>posted by Laws Watch @ 4:51 PM 17 comments
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>Sunday, November 13, 2005
>Naughty children
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>It seems some people on both sides of the debate are incapable of conducting a discussion without resorting to spurious, unnecessary and, frankly, utterly childish comments regarding people's appearance, supposed pecadillos, and so forth. Though having said that, the worst and most sustained ofenders seem to be amongst those who support the Mayor and seem to think that the way to win hearts and minds is to abuse all who disagree.
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>There are those amongst the Watchers who would shut down comments altogether, offering only occasional posts with no chance of discussion, disagreement, and feedback - and, of course, no chance of people leaving anonymous tips about what may (or may not) really be happening. Other Watchers fear this would play right into the hands of a Mayor who's obsessed with his own self-image, with spin, and is perhaps more skilled than anyone we know at propaganda in its most literal form - misinformation, disinformation, distraction and, when all else fails, intimidation.
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>Just as the we were about to end up occupying opposite sides of the LawsWatch cave, hurling WMDs (Wasteful McDonalds' Detritus) at one another, Blogger.com has come to the rescue with a new feature - comments moderation.
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>So, from now on, all comments will be moderated.
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>What does this mean?
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>As before, all comments, whether agreeing with what we've said or taking issue with a post will be welcome.
>Also as before, commenters may disagree with one another.
>Instead of waiting for a comment to appear which offers little or nothing beyond gratuitous personal insult, then deleting it (after it's been read by numerous people and perhaps caused distress to the person so abused) we'll catch these before they appear.
>Comments will no longer be readable the minute they're written. In fact, depending on how busy we are, it make take several hours for them to appear, and they're likely to appear in "clumps" rather than one every few minutes as at present.
>Not being able to read, and immediately react to, the comments of other people will, to some extent, stifle debate. It's with considerable regret we've had to take this step. It's with even greater regret that we realise Wanganui is a community which contains some individuals who want to reduce debate to unkind comments on the appearance of various people - on one infamous occasion, a child - rather than the issues.
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>We hope you'll continue visiting, and commenting. If you see this as some sinister attempt to stifle pro-diVision/Laws comment, we invite you to give it a try for the next few days - you'll see as much comment as ever disagreeing with our opinions and disputing the facts.
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>Comments on this post are now closed.
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>posted by Laws Watch @ 11:46 PM 10 comments
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>Thumbs down from the critics
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>THE WORLD�S STUPIDEST MAYOR
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>Starring: Michael Laws, Dotty McKinnon, Marty Lindsay, Sue Pepperell, Rangi Wills, Muzza Who?
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>Genres: Comedy, tragedy and farce
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>Running Time: 12 months (so far)
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>Release Date: October 22 2004
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>MPAA Rating: Not for the squeamish
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>Distributor: WDC Films
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>Studio: 101 Guyton
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>Synopsis: Centres on the life of Michael Laws, an alien who invested several decades building a reputation for political opportunism and downright deceit. He then travelled to the Whanganui River Mudflats where he set the world record for gross stupidity and crass offensiveness in a mayor. The film follows his headlong rush into political obscurity.
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>Reviewers rated this mayoralty NO STARS
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>SAMPLE REVIEWS:
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>TIM SHADBOLT OF INVERCARGILL: "A shocking performance by someone who should never again be cast in any sort of political role. The Invercargill audience sighed with relief that this pathetic excuse for a mayor never came anywhere near this city and didn�t even get to audition for their mayoralty."
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>BOB HARVEY OF WAITAKERE: "I could find absolutely nothing to recommend in this excruciating travesty of local politics. The support cast seem to have dragged their performances down to the level of the ill-chosen lead and as he doubled as director, producer, gaffer... there was nothing he could do short of sacking himself. Someone needs to buy him a beer and tell him to piss off."
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>LAWSWATCH: "This woeful effort is an even bigger flop than its wireless counterpart Radio Dead and is likely to be pulled by the voters before completing its scheduled run. Graeme Taylor, who had been cast in a support role, was smart to leave the set at the first opportunity and we predict this will be damaging to the careers of the remaining cast."