Kerre McIvor: Shameless embarrassment

Len Brown's "pathetic"; affair has left him the most impotent mayor in history. Photo / Janna Dixon

I would be quite happy if I never had to read another story about Len Brown and his contrition and his misunderstanding of the way council protocol works ever again.

I didn't care about his pathetic affair (although I could have done without reading the sordid details).

I was ambivalent about the hotel upgrades - people get upgraded all the time when there are spare seats and rooms - and besides, there's no way to get rid of him unless he resigns and, let's face it, he's not going to get a gig like this again, is he?

You'd have thought that shame would have seen him depart the mayoralty but the shame gene appears to be missing from his DNA.

I suppose he's hoping the Christmas and New Year break will take the heat off him and when everyone comes back to work next year, it will be as if nothing ever happened.

But unless there's a seismic shift, he's going to be the most impotent mayor in the history of local body politics (which is ironic, really, isn't it?)

People don't want to work with him. Ratepayers are contemptuous of him. And politicians in Central Government will be wary of him, because nobody likes being around a loser, so it will make it more difficult to lobby for Auckland's interests in Wellington.

I thought Brown would try to ride out this sorry affair - and it appears he will.

But at what cost to the Auckland ratepayers?