An engaging Mayor

On two local issue in the last few days concerning Wellington City Council, Mayor Celia has popped up in comments on this blog and others to defend or explain her statements.

Regardless of politics, this is a good thing – to have a Mayor who engages through social media when it is relevant to do so. Not too many capital cities would be able to claim this.

In some regards this is no big surprise. Celia was in fact one of the inaugural Councillors of Internet New Zealand (then ISOCNZ). But good to see being Internet savvy continue in office.

In terms of previous Mayors, I guess one could claim that Andrew Williams used to engage with Whale Oil – but I’m not sure abusive faxes at 4 am fall into the same category as a blog comment 🙂

UPDATE: And in today’s Dom Post, an issue on which Celia has my full support:

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown is using her influence to pressure Wellington Airport into axing plans to put up a King-Kong-sized Wellywood sign.

But airport chief executive Steve Fitzgerald says the project is still alive, with a decision likely in about two months.

The airport was granted resource consent last year by Wellington City Council for a Hollywood-style sign to stand 3.5 metres high and span 28 metres along the airport-owned hillside next to Miramar cutting.

Ms Wade-Brown said she had flexed her new-found mayoral muscles when speaking informally to airport officials.

“I have influence and I hope the Wellywood sign won’t happen.”

If it does, I predict it will last less than a week. The Judean People’s Army will assemble a commando team to destroy it. The idea of a “Wellywood” sign is ghastly. If there has to be something, my preference is a giant weta.