KEY POINTS:
Surprise of the big Auckland City mayoral free-for-all was that ever-so-nice Mayor Hubbard came out really punching for his job. And even seemed to enjoy it. He even landed a couple of good whacks to his main rival, his predecessor, John Banks. To constant niggling from Mr Banks about secrecy in the present council, Mr Hubbard hit back by accusing Mayor Banks of holding secret meetings each week with his committee chairman at which "no minutes were ever kept".
To nagging about leaky homes, Mr Hubbard suggested that most were built during Mr Banks' regime. Which was, one must say, rather below the belt, because many of these problem homes go back further than that. Surprisingly, Mr Banks let it ride.
With the great battles over gay rights long behind us, the big problem candidates had at this Gay Auckland Business Association-sponsored debate, was how to sell themselves to the audience in just four minutes. Do you treat them as a special minority, or as part of the wider community. First off the mark was Dr John Hinchcliff who took no chances, doing both, and trying a bit of Maori as well. He wanted a "tossed salad" community not a "melting pot," and was "saddened by the ravages of HIV Aids." Next up was pornographer Steve Crow, who took the other extreme, saying there'd be no favourites under his regime, he wanted total equality.
There were the flatterers like Mr Hubbard and Alex Swney who waxed lyrical about the over-representation of gays in the creative industries which cities need to make them prosper, and then there was Lisa Prager, the only openly-gay candidate in the race.
Ms Prager said that when she was mayor, she'd invite her fellow gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (apologies if I've missed anyone out) mates in to run the city.
From audience reaction, most were more interested in the same things the rest of the population are, issues such as the level of rates and the need for better public transport.
It was something of a two horse race, with former mayor John Banks under the distinct handicap of his homophobic utterances of earlier days. We all know he claims to have undergone a transmogrification, and is now a gentler, kinder, touchy-feely sort of bloke these days, but at least one questioner angrily accused him of references to gay activities on talkback which I won't spoil your breakfast by repeating.
Mr Banks could do little but say he hadn't used that sort of language on his radio show in the past three years and would treat everyone with respect as mayor.
Quipped Ms Prager. "You had me arrested." To which he replied, "I hear you've been arrested more often under Mayor Hubbard."
With that audience, an easy win for Mr Hubbard.
