U-turn on election signs the right call

Tauranga City Council made the right decision this week in allowing roadside signs to continue to be a feature of local elections.

I've always thought these signs are an important part of election campaigns and help raise awareness.

They give candidates a platform to try to get their messages across, on top of other types of advertising.

Yes, they can be messy and look messy.

And yes, there are always nitwits out there who vandalise them.

But they also give the process a bit of character.

This week, we reported our councillors had done a u-turn on an earlier plan to ban these signs.

It was a strike for democracy - although it came with a sting in the tail.

Our councillors couldn't help but meddle with the current rules and cut two weeks off the time signs are allowed to be up.

This means candidates only have four weeks instead of six to display their signs.

But perhaps at the end of the day, no one cares.

Just 10 people bothered to make a public submission on the issue, which to me sounds a serious alarm over the apathy that exists regarding local body politics.

Cr Rick Curach, who has been re-elected with his catchy Pick Rick signs, put it this way:

"Most people don't care enough to make a submission."

Naturally, Cr Curach likes the signs, as does Cr Catherine Stewart.

But others, such as Mayor Stuart Crosby, don't care for them.

The mayor believes the people generally see them as a mess.

Generally speaking, local body politics might not be sexy but the council is a vital part of this city and has a major impact on our everyday lives in Tauranga.

It provides us with roads, parks, water, recycling, buses, dog control, litter management.

The list goes on.

Just consider the following figures.

Tauranga council is responsible for managing a fast-growing city of more than 110,000 people and will spend about $1 billion in capital expenditure over the next 10 years.

Rates revenue in the 2009/10 year was $82 million and council assets as at June 30, 2010 totalled $3.5 billion.

It has control over how our city operates, how it grows and how much residents will pay towards this.

So, given all this, who is elected to run Tauranga is important and voters have got to get it right.

Roadside signs are one small but important avenue to help them decide.