The good thing about politicians is that they are accountable to their electorate.
They sometimes don't behave like they are accountable, but that soon catches up with them. While politicians - be they MPs or local councillors - are in office, any voter has the right to ask what theyare doing on a particular issue.
Democracy means that if we don't feel someone is representing us or, even worse, ignoring us, we don't have to vote for them. If enough people feel the same and withhold their vote, they don't get elected.
A lesson in listening to voters is currently underway at the Hastings District Council. As part of its annual plan hearing yesterday, the council discussed the issue of its animal control team's hard line approach to nabbing unregistered dogs. Some councillors asked if animal control staff could be allowed more discretion when confiscating unregistered dogs and the council will probably make a decision on that today.
The reason why the councillors are considering easing back on the policy is because they have received strong feedback from the community. Councillor Henare O'Keefe, who has been out with the animal control team, said he was alarmed by the public's reaction and the ill feeling towards the council. Rod Heaps said he had also fielded calls from Te Awanga residents claiming animal control staff were taking any dog they saw on the street.
This newspaper gets a lot of angry texts and letters to the editor about what readers consider the "unfair" actions of the council's animal control team. It is clearly a subject that resonates with Hastings residents.
