Rates to promote Goff’s posts on Facebook

Todd Niall writes:

Auckland Council pulls in nearly $5 billion in revenue a year, so does it matter where $1000 of it goes?

In politics, to quote an old cliché, it’s not the money, it’s the principle. And this is about $1000 spent by Mayor Phil Goff’s office in the past year to boost the audience of his social media posts.

As the council beavers away behind closed doors on the most difficult budget in its decade of being, behaviour with ratepayers’ money takes on a new meaning.

I agree. One should lead by example with belt tightening.

Here, though, is the test that should be applied to the $1000 spent by the mayor’s office over the past year on boosting his social media posts – especially in these fiscally-challenged times.

Could the mayor look 11 average residential ratepayers in the eye and tell them that the extra they will pay this year, if a 3.5 per cent rate rise goes through, will be used to boost his own social media reach?

Political promotion should be on the “nice-to-have” list should the council find itself comfortably back in the black one day.

If you save a thousand here or there it starts to add up!