Jevan the quitter

Oh dear; how sad; never mind. Jevan Goulter has pulled out of the race for the Wanganui mayoralty, announcing his decision on the day that voting papers were posted. He has however put the kiss of death on Annette Main's campaign for the mayoralty, by publicly backing her as his preferred candidate, and he remains in the contest for a council seat.

We can't say that we're sorry to see the drama queen pull his nomination for mayor, given that he was highly likely to be the lowest-polling of the six candidates. But in an appalling display of arrogance, he's called on Crs Ray Stevens and Philippa Baker-Hogan to also withdraw from the race, to ensure a contest between Ms Main and Dot McKinnon, Michael Laws' deputy mayor.

Goulter is only a Johnny-come-lately to Wanganui. He's based in Wellington, and as recently as a month ago, still intended to stand for the Lambton Ward in the WCC elections. But in a statement he made yesterday, his agenda became clear - have a read of this:

As I begun to meet people and the community I realised how downtrodden many people had been by the Laws leadership. I realised how many people really were and are under represented and intimated by their civic leader. I knew straight away that this is not a way to lead your city.

I set out on a path with hope and a message "Vote Leaders and not Puppets" and I feel I have got that message across to a lot of people.

When seeing how much influence Michael Laws has has over present leaders and hopeful candidates in these elections, I realise how important it is to vote for change.

The idea of a Michael Laws puppet being elected for another term scares me and upsets me to the point of sickness.

We could be rude and say that the thought of Jevan Goulter having any role to play in Wanganui's local governance scares and upsets US to the point of sickness, but we won't. We'd just like Goulter to quietly disappear from Wanganui, and take his self-serving publicity stunts elsewhere. Remember, this is the man who tried to serve a so-called "legal document" on the five-year-old daughter of current mayor Michael Laws.

We do feel some sympathy for Annette Main. She has done a lot of good work for the Whanganui region, and does not deserve to have her mayoral campaign associated with such a loose unit as Jevan Goulter.

We shed no tears at Goulter's decision not to contest the Wanganui mayoralty. His time in Wanganui has been marked by bitterness and division; something that this fine provincial city which we call our home does not need. We hope that the good voters of Wanganui send him the strongest possible message when they vote over the next few weeks.