Third time's a charm for Mayor Morris

SUE MORRIS was back in the Ruapehu District Council mayoral office yesterday hard at work on one of her hot issues ... better access to health services for Ruapehu district residents.
Mrs Morris was re-elected as Ruapehu mayor for a third term after successfully fending off the challenge from one her councillors, Ohakune tourism park operator, Uwe Kroll.
While "thrilled" to be back in office Mrs Morris said she believed it was "a good idea to be challenged" for the job as an integral part of the democratic process.
However, she said the result had also been a clear signal from her constituents that they were happy for her to continue in the job.
"So I am grateful for that support and to all those voted who for me. I love this job and it is great to have the opportunity to continue with the work we have planned for the future," she said.
Mrs Morris said that just as in the past two terms, she would continue to be "close the people" and keep her door open.
One of her major aims this term will be to turn up the heat on central Government to be more accountable for the burdens it has constantly foisted onto local government.
High on that list is the raft of acts and regulations that have not only created substantial compliance costs, but have forced councils to employ additional staff just to handle those issues.
In that regard Mrs Morris could be a fellow-traveller to Wellington with Rangitikei's new mayor, Chalky Leary. He too has made the pledge to apply the blow torch to Government's important little places to encourage a change of attitude.
"We are a small rural district, in terms of population, struggling to get ourselves organised, so I will be working hard with the mayors from other districts to get the Government to come to the party," he said.
One of Mrs Morris' other tasks will be to lobby Government on the rating of Crown-owned land.
She said 38 percent of the land in Ruapehu district was either DoC or Defence land, which currently can not be rated, so that placed an unfair burden on all other ratepayers.
On the broader horizon, Mrs Morris said she was looking forward to leading a "vibrant" council, which includes four newcomers, to "keep a good thing going" for Ruapehu district.