John Banks lets his city slide

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 4 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, john banks - Tags:

2297070Far from being a careful steward of ratepayers’ money and someone who takes pride in his city, Auckland mayor John Banks is allowing parts of the CBD to slide.

Less than two years ago Banks’ council spent $1.5 million upgrading the central Auckland lane Swanson Street. Yet far from being some kind of urban oasis, as Bernard Orsman notes in this Herald article, Swanson ‘is looking the worse for wear with grubby stains and leaching paving stones.’ Orsman goes as far as to describe it as ‘filthy’.

Banks’ empty campaign slogans consist of ‘affordable progress’ and ‘value for money’ (obviously he wouldn’t use the truer tagline “in your guts you know he’s nuts”).

However, his poll tested branding is constantly undermined by inattention to his council’s inefficient incompetence – which currently includes wasting $1.5 million failing to clean up a street, lax oversight leading to his council paying twice for footpaths, then forgetting to pay the same contractor for other work, and Banks voting in secret to underwrite My Fair Lady which eventually lost $2.5 million.

And let’s not forget the 11pm closing-time-for-suburban-bars debacle which Banks’ admitted “my fingerprints” were all over. What is becoming apparent is that the Banks and C&R led council is both a do-nothing council and a lax steward of ratepayers money. When Banks says “If I wear my policy on my sleeve I won’t get elected” he means he can’t be trusted to look after the city he’d rather see it become ‘filthy’.

4 comments on “John Banks lets his city slide ”

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  1. John Dalley 1
    15 October 2009 at 8:53 pm

    This along with the fiasco on the pavement contract as reported in this morning’s NZ Herald. Turns out after effectively slandering John Filimore Contractors the ACC owes them $400.000.00 odd dollars and Banksy wants them JFC to forgo payment.
    I would say that Auckland CC are lucky not to be sued for slander.

  2. tc 2
    16 October 2009 at 9:22 am

    yesterdays man, yesterdays atitudes and practices coupled with todays fat package courtesy of akl ratepayers………a living example of style over substance, spin over reality and apathetic ratepayers who should know and vote better.

  3. Marcus 3
    16 October 2009 at 10:04 am

    if the swanson street upgrade is the renovation of St Patrick’s Square then I think it’s great and if it’s dirty that’s becuase it was in the middle of construction – it only opens tomorrow. But on my way to Mass in the Cathedral it looks like it will be a great park for sitting in at lunchtime in the sun (c’mon summer!)

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