Parks, pools, pipes, potholes: Paul Eagle on why he should be mayor – صحيفة الصوت

Parks, pools, pipes, potholes will be some of the first things Paul Eagle tackles if he wins Wellington’s mayoralty at this year’s council elections.

He used his campaign launch to announce that he would focus on a return to council basics, reinvigorating the arts and hospitality sectors, and the establishment of a new authority to deal with the major infrastructure changes coming for Wellington.

While Eagle earlier confirmed he would be running for mayor – and would trigger a by-election for his Rongotai seat in Parliament if he won – he officially launched his campaign on Sunday at the Te Aro Room, of the Mac’s Brewbar on the Wellington waterfront.

A true cross-section of Wellington turned out, including Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and newly appointed Labour Party president Jill Day. Current Wellington City councillors Fleur Fitzsimons and her ideologically opposite Diane Calvert attended, as did councillor Nicola Young, while DJ King Kapisi played the tunes.

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Former Porirua mayor Nick Leggett – who once contested Wellington’s mayoralty – turned up with wife and new baby in a front pack to find current Porirua mayor Anita Baker also there. Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce also turned up.

“There is no-one I know who could bring this group together other than Paul Eagle,” Robertson, who is Wellington Central MP, said.

Eagle, a former Wellington deputy mayor and current Labour MP, is Labour-endorsed but is running as an independent in the local body elections.

A key part of Eagle’s campaign launch was a focus on “parks, pools, pipes, and potholes” and a promise to publish a plan if he is mayor of which of these would get extra funding and how much. It would be part of a wider review of council spending.

“Many of our suburban libraries are rundown or not open on the weekends. The local swimming pools are often closed because of unplanned issues – such as not enough lifeguards and maintenance issues. We have burst pipes sending sewage and water rushing down our streets and our parks and playgrounds are run down.”

He also pledged to work with central government to implement big improvements to the city’s problem plagued three waters – drinking, waste, and storm – infrastructure.

Eagle promised to set up a City Development Authority to come up with neighbourhood plans to make decisions around homes, transport, infrastructure and community facilities.

He said he would get an audit of sporting fees: “Our region has some of the most expensive fees in the country for sports, clubs and schools to use council grounds.”

He promised to restore the city’s arts, culture, and hospitality sectors including setting up a “world-class arts precinct” along Courtenay Place and to finish off the redevelopment around on Te Ngākau Civic Centre.

“As mayor I’ll use the City Development Authority, and work with developers, businesses, creatives and the city community to deliver this precinct. I’ll also enable mixed use in the square with retail, hospitality, offices and apartments to complement civic uses.”

More policies were promised in the coming weeks and months.

With just over three months to go before the next mayor and councillors are sworn in, and weeks out from nominations closing the race for Wellington’s mayoralty has already become a seven-horse race.

Incumbent mayor Andy Foster, the Green Party’s Tory Whanau, independent Ray Chung, Significant Natural Areas opponent Dr Barbara McKenzie, independent Ellen Blake, and independent Chris Dudfield have all previously announced they will contest the Mayoralty.

Postal votes will go out from September 16 and voting closes on October 8.