King Brownlee can do pretty much whatever the hell he likes in Christchurch. And what he wants to do, it seems, is fuck all. When I was in Christchurch recently, I was deeply disturbed by the lack of rebuild, and the vibe. People feel it. People get angry. When people get angry, Brownlee looks for someone else to blame. Now, he’s doubling down by interfering in the coming local elections.
He has identified Yani Johanson, the council’s community, recreation and culture committee chairman who is responsible for overseeing social housing as the main culprit [for the slow rebuild of social housing]
“Councillor Johanson said speeding up the repair and re-letting of these properties would be his priority but the numbers speak for themselves,” he said.
“Perhaps it’s time someone with a bit of can-do attitude relieved councillor Johanson of this burden.”
Bit rich from King Do Nothing to say someone else isn’t working fast enough. And I seriously doubt that the chair of a council committee has much control over the rebuild – it’s not like they’re ministers. You want to look to the council staff if there’s a problem.
Brownlee has previously pretended not to know who Johanson is to belittle him, despite him being one of the most vocal councilors regarding the rebuild, with a strong plan and strong criticism of Brownlee. (Yani’s also got a sense of humour)
Clearly, this latest outburst is a play to get one of his strongest critics in local politics off the council.
Still, at least the portly dictator restrained himself somewhat – he could just cancel the elections and appoint the next council if he wants.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress