When the pressure became too much for failed mayoral candidate John Palino on Friday morning, he and his fiancee headed to Auckland International Airport and boarded a plane. A long-awaited holiday, he called it.
If only life were that simple, if it were so easy to walk away after pleading with the public for their trust. In truth - and as the Auckland mayor's erstwhile mistress Bevan Chuang will testify - we are defined and sometimes scarred by bad decisions . As Mayor Len Brown will testify, we also hurt those close to us.
The desire to take a break from life's troubles is a legitimate one and a recurring theme in today's paper. Read about Gary McCormick's youthful flight to the sunny surf city of Gisborne (p18) and John Hawkesby's escape to beautiful Waiheke Island (p28-29)
To take a break from work, from stress, from duty, is healthy and smart. To run away and evade consequences is questionable.
With the role of Palino's team under increasing scrutiny, it may have been better to defer his break and face questions.
