Fran back in charge

It will be a good thing for Wellington to have Fran Wilde in charge, with her election as Chair of the Wellington Regional Council.

One has to feel a bit sorry for Ian Buchanan who lost the job to Fran.  he had been from all accounts a decent enough Chair, but the reality is that Fran is a big hitter who can achieve more due to her experience and networks.

Fran is committed to making Transmission Gully happen on timetable, not that it has been agreed to by the major parties.  This is vitally important as any delays increase costs massively which then cause the viability of the decision to proceed to be questioned.

Also good to see Ian McKinnon elected Deputy Mayor of Wellington last night.  Ian is a very decent and dedicated Councillor, who will perform the role well.  He is also a potential replacement for Kerry when she retires at the end of this term.

If anyone has details of what the vote for Deputy Mayor was, I’d be interested to know that.  I understand it was fairly close.