Whatever the rights or wrongs, seeking political intervention via an anonymous leaflet (for want of a better word) is pathetic. Who in their right mind would believe for a moment that a politician was going to read this and call on the Minister of Local Government to act?
The campaign took another turn when various politicians who attended Mr Jones' party at his home in Kerikeri were apparently slipped a piece of paper calling for their support for the appointment of a commissioner. (The Northland Age received the paper from a number of sources, all making the same claim as to its origins, and all denying involvement).
Two grounds were stated — the council was delaying the issuing of commercial building permits that were critical for the Far North's economic development by "finding small defects" in applications and returning them to the applicant, thereby re-setting the 20-day time limit at Day 1, and a penchant for taking rating disputes to court without attempting to negotiate a settlement, an opportunity that those being sued would accept.
This newspaper has been critical of the council almost since its inception in 1989, over a variety of issues, and likely always will be, but it has always endeavoured to argue facts (which, to be blunt, have not always been easily come by). The same cannot be said of these fifth columnists.
The council says it is doing its best to comply with the 20-day time frame for issuing building consents, but we don't have to take its word for that. An audit last financial year found that it had achieved an 89 per cent compliance rate, which by national standards isn't bad.
The council will say that, for whatever reason, it is short-staffed in the building consent department, and that, combined with what it says is a record level of building activity, is making compliance with the 20-day time frame difficult. It could, and should, replace the staff who have left, which one hopes it is trying to do, although every time it hires someone it is likely to attract fresh criticism.
The claim that the council is excessively litigious is equally difficult to defend. It says that, as of last week, it had four matters before the court, relating to unpaid rates and alleged breaches of contract. If there is an army of ratepayers out there who are being sued over issues that they are keen to negotiate with the council, the Northland Age would be very pleased to meet them.
It's not that long ago, during John Carter's first term as mayor, that he was lauded by one Maori land-owning trust for negotiating a method of dealing with significant rate arrears that would make the debt payable, encourage the ongoing payment of rates in the future, and pave the way for the owners of the land to benefit financially from it.
Indeed, one trenchant critic went so far as to say that the council, and Mr Carter personally, had created a template that would serve not only the Far North but the country.
The council's attitude doesn't seem to have changed, but something obviously has. We won't know exactly what, however, until those who are behind the commissioner campaign stand up to be counted.
Who, exactly, is this Far North Business Consortium? The writer has strong suspicions, but it is up to them to identify themselves. It is up to them to tell us not only who they are but their qualifications for attempting to interfere in local government on this scale. We would like to know what their agendas are, and what personal barrows they might be pushing. Then we can judge their credibility for ourselves.
It would be nice to know too if there are genuine reasons, that no one else seems to be aware of, or at least has yet to enunciate, for the appointment of a commissioner, beyond claims that the council's a bit slow issuing some building permits and takes every opportunity to sue recalcitrant ratepayers, which apparently it is not.
In his more than four years as mayor, Mr Carter has made no secret of his faith in the power of negotiation. That attitude has stood this district in good stead. He also believes in the benefit of communication. At the time of his induction in 2013 he made his expectations of the council in that regard abundantly clear. That has not changed, even if his exhortations have not always fallen on fertile ground.
The council, at his behest, has also instigated a process by which building consent applicants are encouraged to take part in pre-application discussions with staff, to reduce the potential for problems that could delay the issuing of permits. That simple measure should, and no doubt has, reduced the potential for delays, assuming that applicants accept the invitation. Some, it seems, do not.
Whatever the rights or wrongs, seeking political intervention via an anonymous leaflet (for want of a better word) is pathetic. Who in their right mind would believe for a moment that a politician was going to read this and call on the Minister of Local Government to act? What they might have done was point out to her that the Far North had just offered further evidence in support of its reputation for being home to some slightly odd individuals.
What credibility could this extraordinary appeal have? And if building permits and court cases are the best this consortium can come up with, it needs to try harder. Anyone who wants a commissioner will need to persuade the Minister not only that the council is fundamentally dysfunctional, but is more so than any number of others around the country, starting perhaps with the biggest of them all. In many ways the Auckland Council makes its Far North counterpart look amateurish when it comes to failing to deliver to the highest possible standard.
Meanwhile this constant sniping from the sidelines, anonymously, with no reference to facts, serves no one well, least of all the Far North's ratepayers. They would be much better served if the council was allowed to focus on improving its processes and service levels rather than putting out fires. Distractions of this nature are by their very nature unhelpful.
If this business consortium believes it has identified real issues that are so serious as to warrant ministerial intervention, let its members stand for election next year. Let them campaign on what's wrong and what they will do to fix it. Let us be the judge.
In the immortal words of Basil Fawlty, 'Come out, come out, wherever you are.' We have plenty to talk about.
