A wannabee quintuple dipper

The Herald reports:

Former MP Brian Neeson and pharmacy owner Warren Flaunty are each standing for election to five local authorities, heading a bigger than usual field of candidates who have put their hands up for three or more Super City roles.

Both men say they can cope with the workload if they are successful in several of those bodies.

But it is the possibility of both of them serving on two local boards of the Auckland Council that has raised rivals’ eyebrows.

Mr Neeson, an MP from 1990 to 2002, is nominated for the council’s Albany Ward as well as the Rodney Local Board and the Upper Harbour Local Board.

If he was elected to the council, he said, he would drop the boards.

But there is also the possibility of him being elected to the Waitemata District Health Board and the Waitakere Licensing Trust.

So Brian wants to be a quintuple dipper. Actually it is worse than that. Simon Power, in a moment of insanity, also appointed him to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, he is trying to be a sextuple dipper.

I would change the law for local body elections, so that candidates can stand for one office only. You can stand for either the City Council or the DHB – not both. You can stand for Council or a board – not both. Also – you can stand for Mayor or Council – not both.

90% of local body elections is name recognition, and your skill at writing a 200 word blurb. People stand for multiple roles to increase their name recognition. Works well for them – doesn’t work well at getting people dedicated to the one role.