He says: ‘If I’m elected as Mayor, I’ll ensure Council takes a sensible and responsible approach to managing its finances. When we have nearly $10,000 worth of debt for every household in Kāpiti, we need to take a cautious and prudent approach to reducing it, rather than taking unnecessary, unaffordable, and speculative risks with your money.
‘Taken in light of the Council’s failed scheme to borrow another $30 million for an “investment fund” last year, a scheme that was defended by Mayor K. Gurunathan and only stopped thanks to community outcry and following the Auditor-General’s intervention, it’s clear we need fresh leadership at Kāpiti Coast District Council.’
No, this guy dances around the subjects without any clear commitments. When push comes to shove you are voting for whatever he wants to do on the day. Perhaps his time working for John Key has taught him a trick or two. Not a good look.
Well at the very least he couldn’t be any worse than what we have now. Although the mayor has more power and influence than a councilor, he/she is still only one vote out of 11.
I write in reference to the Mayor’s column of 23 January. Given KCDC’s current debt, it is illogical to me that borrowing additional millions of dollars to put on the stock market is seen to be an “innovative financial move”.
Additionally, I am also baffled by the Mayor’s statement, “The…proposal given its innovative approach, needed greater ratepayer socialisation.” So the Mayor thinks that had Council branded this “innovative financial” approach in a way that could make it more palatable to the public, KCDC would have had support to borrow additional millions of dollars.
A zero risk approach to Council’s financial woes would be to review their staffing levels and costs. Currently, with over 300 staff members costing ratepayers in excess of 25 million dollars a year, there is room to cut the fat. Such a move would allow KCDC to focus on repaying its massive debt instead of burdening ratepayers with more.