Rates issue becomes war of words

Auckland business leaders' response to rate increases in 2004. Now candidates are arguing about who voted for the rise. Photo / Brett Phibbs

High profile rivals Alex Swney and Mike Lee are engaged in a war of words in the race for the Waitemata & Gulf seat on the Auckland Council.

Mr Swney, chief executive of Heart of the City and the Citizens & Ratepayers endorsed candidate, began the barney by questioning Mr Lee's record on a number of issues, including a claim he voted for huge rates increases that led to a regionwide rates revolt in 2003.

Mr Lee, the Auckland Regional Council chairman and City Vision endorsed candidate, accused his rival of telling "blatant lies" and produced records showing he voted against the regional council measures, which pushed rates bills up to 467 per cent in some Auckland suburbs.

"To stoop to those type of smear tactics says more about Alex Swney than it does about me, especially as most of the mud he is throwing is completely false", said Mr Lee, who added he was taking legal advice.

Yesterday, Mr Swney was sticking to his guns, saying Mr Lee voted in 2004 for a 50 per cent loading for business on regional rates.

At the time, Auckland business leaders showed their displeasure by erecting a billboard in Pitt St facing the regional council officers that said: "Shove your 50 per cent rates increase up your ARC".

Mr Lee acknowledged that some of Mr Swney's allegations in a newspaper advertisement were a matter of opinion, but most of it was untrue. Responding to an assertion made by Mr Swney that he was "adversarial, opinionated and cuts people out", Mr Lee said the Auckland Regional Council under his leadership was "probably the most cohesive, united and consensual in Auckland".

Of all the 13 wards for the Auckland Council, Waitemata & Gulf is the most prized battleground. It's the transport, commercial, educational and cultural hub of the Super City and has its own council-controlled organisation for the waterfront.

C&R and City Vision desperately want to win the single-seat ward, although Mr Swney has been handicapped by the emergence of another right-leaning candidate, businessman Tenby Powell.

In the latest attack, Mr Powell has accused Mr Swney of double-dipping, saying he would take an $80,000 salary as an Auckland councillor and continue his ratepayer-funded job at Heart of the City.