Mr Anderton said he wasn't going to resign his seat if he was elected mayor because he didn't want to cause a by-election that would cost about $600,000 and wouldn't be held until early next year anyway.
"A few months of parliamentary representation is not worth $600,000 of public money," he said.
"I would not accept two salaries and would donate the higher mayoral salary to local voluntary organisations."
Mr Anderton said no one should doubt he could do the jobs of mayor and MP at the same time.
"You are asking that question of someone who worked 17-hour days, six days a week as a minister for nine years."
We're calling Ol' Man River on that. We don't care whether he gives one of his salaries away. The bottom line is this; he made a commitment to the electors of Wigram to represent them until 2011. When he was running for election in 2008, did he tell his constituents that he would not complete the term? We really, really doubt it. He's going back on his word; so much for integrity!
And Red Alert will be mandatory reading should Ol' Man River beat Bob Parker. Will Trevor Mallard accuse Anderton of double-dipping as he did Sam Lotu-Iiga? Once again, we really, really doubt it.
Hypocrisy is alive and well on the left; some things never change.
6 comments:
Will he commit to leaving parliament at the next election regardless of the mayoral result, or keep the option of standing again in case he doesn't win the mayoralty?
17 hours a day for 9 years - YEAH RIGHT.
Who does he think we are??
So if he does become Mayor will he be reducing his MP time or will he only be giving the people of Chch 7 hours a day???
Besides, what would Zapper Dave Henderson do for a living if he didn't have Bob Parker around to give him rate-payers' money? Go Bob!
HP - Jim will commit to doing whatever is best for Jim. All other considerations are entirely secondary.
if his history is anything to go by, he will win the mayoralty, then decide to leave and set up the "Progressive state of Wigram", secede from NZ and do us all a favour by declining all ongoing taxpayer privilege as he would now be king of his own 3 hectare country. If he promises this I will move to Christchurch and give him my vote
No way Anton - Jim NEEDS public funding in order to survive - the public trough is a source of oxygen for him.
Post a Comment