Action Hobson Councillors Christine Caughey and Richard Simpson. Photo / Martin Sykes
The eastern highway is still the number one issue for Action Hobson, which launched its election campaign last night with a warning that a motorway across Hobson Bay remains on its opponents' agenda.
Councillor Christine Caughey said despite stopping immediate plans for the highway, opponents had consistently refused
to remove the roading component from the eastern transport corridor.
Her comments were directed at Citizens & Ratepayers Now, which suffered a humiliating defeat in 2004 at the hands of Action Hobson in the traditional blue-ribbon ward of Hobson.
Action Hobson won two of the three council seats and came within a whisker of winning the third after C&R Now joined forces with Mayor John Banks to build the highway over Hobson Bay.
Since 2004, C&R Now and Mr Banks have abandoned the project but the council has voted at least twice to keep the corridor's transport designation.
Action Hobson is a member of the "consultative group" comprising Mayor Dick Hubbard and City Vision-Labour councillors which has led the council for the past three years.
Last night, Ms Caughey and councillor Richard Simpson listed several achievements, including stopping the eastern highway, pushing for rail electrification, helping to stop the waterfront stadium and promoting Carlaw Park, and demanding better urban design rules.
They did not mention their part in raising rates by 21.4 per cent over three years and water bills by 19.6 per cent in two years.
Mr Simpson said if re-elected, Action Hobson would push for alternative sources to rates, such as carbon and waste charges.
He was vague on whether Action Hobson would keep raising water bills to pay for stormwater and said there would have to be extremely good reasons before it would look at selling the council's airport shares. "At this point we haven't seen those reasons."
Action Hobson has selected environmental consultant Dr Maggie Lawton to join Ms Caughey and Mr Simpson to contest the council seats in Hobson. David Simpson, Kathryn Carter, Dr Paul Ockelford, Robin Bailey, Rob Hellriegel and Gianluca Watson are its candidates for the Hobson community board.
