Allegations of 'Trump-style' politics in coup to oust community board chairwoman
Allegations of “Trump-style” politics and “despicable” actions have beset a Christchurch community board as members of the Labour-aligned People’s Choice move to oust the board’s chairwoman.
Five People’s Choice members of the Waikura/Linwood-Central-Heathcote board – including city councillors Jake McLellan and Yani Johanson – have written to Christchurch City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale outlining their intention to hold a vote on November 30 to remove chairwoman Alexandra Davids.
The move came less than a month after People’s Choice member Sunita Gautam was elected to the board in a by-election following the death of long-time member Sally Buck.
Gautam’s win gives People’s Choice a majority on the nine-person board. The Local Government Act says a vote to remove a chairperson can be called for if the majority of members support it.
Buck stepped down from the chairwoman role in April and one of her last actions was to vote for Davids as her replacement as chairwoman.
McLellan said Davids and many other members always understood another vote would be needed after the by-election.
But Davids and the other three independent members on the board – Cr Sara Templeton, Tim Lindley and Darrell Latham – said there was no such understanding.
Templeton labelled the antics as nothing more than “people playing politics” when they should be getting on with the job of advocating on behalf of the community.
Latham said he was “saddened and incredibly disappointed” in the actions of the other five board members.
“This Trump, ‘lets roll them’, political style has no place nor is it befitting of a community board working to do the best for the Linwood-Central-Heathcote communities.”
Lindley said the actions of the five were “despicable and disgraceful”.
He had high expectations of Davids and she had exceeded those, he said.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.5% Summer
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36% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
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