Editorial: Tough as boots to fill Mayor Main's

OUTGOING MAYOR: Annette Main will not contest the role again.

We won't just miss the Imelda-esque collection of boots ...

Mayor Annette Main held her final full council meeting this week and will be gone by the October elections.

Tough boots to fill.

Few people have worked as long and as hard in the cause of the district they love; few mayors have made themselves as readily available to all and sundry; few have had the ability to embrace the wide spectrum of Whanganui society.

Her passion for Whanganui has been palpable and her inclusiveness has been the cornerstone of her mayoralty. It has been a fulltime job, plus all the extras.

She has led from the front and helped turn around the district's ailing reputation.

There will have been pressure on her to stand again - if not a shoo-in, certainly a likely winner.

Of course, not everyone sees it that way. While she has been widely popular, there are some who have shown a strong antipathy to her. They have mostly been older, white males, but we should not draw any conclusions from that.

She stuck to her guns over adding the "H" to Whanganui and over the new wastewater treatment plant, and that was guaranteed to put her out of favour with some sections of the community.

She has also overseen steady rates increases for a not particularly rich district that already has high rates.

Some have said she is not business savvy, though she always did her homework and had a handle on almost every aspect of the council's work.

Others have said she has become increasingly autocratic and dismissive of some of her council colleagues. That is common criticism of mayors once they have settled into the role - they tend to know what they want and show the necessary determination to get it.

In October, someone else will be asked to show the zeal and strength of character to carry on the work. Ms Main may well be heading for the Whanganui District Health Board.

These boots are made for walking ...