Editorial: Council must listen to people

There  are a lot of similarities between politicians at central government and local government level.
Every three years they get elected by the general public, and with that vote comes an expectation that the people who put them there will be listened to.
So with that in mind, those who sit around the Wanganui District Council table would do well to take heed of those opposing the deferment of plans to place a roundabout at the intersection of Heads Rd, Beach Rd and Prince St.
The more than 130 submissions to the council's Draft Annual Plan asking for a roundabout is a not-insignificant number.
When you consider the recent resumption of goods trains using the line running from Taupo Quay to Castlecliff, putting a roundabout in place really becomes something of a no-brainer.
Some of those making submissions are people who work in the industrial area, as well as local businesses.
They know the real risks of not having a roundabout in the area and, while the council has acknowledged the issue of the roundabout will need to be revisited in the future, it would be tragic if the intersection was the site of a serious or fatal crash in the interim.
Spirit of generosity
We hear a lot about how people are more mean-spirited these days, and not as prone to gestures of generosity as in times gone by.
Clearly, no one told that to those who donated to the telethon held over the weekend to raise funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. In all, the 12-hour global telethon raised more than $2.5 million, a fantastic effort in these financially straitened times.
The weekend's event was never going to match the efforts of some of the massive telethon fundraisers of the past, and admittedly a large portion of the total money raised came from corporates like Fonterra and Mainfreight. But plenty came from your average Kiwi.
For further proof of the telethon's fundraising clout, look no further than the all-star list of celebrities keen to get involved - Sir Peter Jackson, Anna Paquin, Prince Edward and Benji Marshall among them. We're still a helpful and generous bunch after all - it's just a shame it took the tragedy of February's earthquake for that point to be made.
Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz