3rd August 2006.

Statement from David Thornton - founder/organiser of NoMoreRates.com

Mayor's Full Page Ad. 'Obscene'

Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard's full page advertisement in today's New Zealand Herald is an insult to ratepayers' intelligence and a stupid waste of money - even if it is his own money.

Flaunting his own wealth while thousands of ratepayers are driven to despair at huge rate rises is an obscene gesture from a leader whose vision is impaired.

To blame angry ratepayers for having neither vision nor foresight is the height of hypocrisy from the leader of a council which is under constant attack for its flagrant and extravagant misuse of ratepayer's money.

I would love to take a full page advertisement to explain why ratepayers are in revolt - but I need to be careful with my money, as do the thousands of Aucklanders who must pay for Hubbard's vision.

Hubbard appears to be as careless with his money as he wants to be with ratepayers' money.

Well, on behalf of the hundreds of Auckland ratepayers who have emailed the NoMoreRates.com campaign, here is my vision Mr Hubbard.

* My vision is for an Auckland free of the rates system that sees people paying 25% or more of their income .to the local council.

* My vision for Auckland is a city council that refuses to take on new responsibilities from central government unless it is funded by central government [That would be REAL leadership Mr Hubbard]

* My vision for Auckland is a city governed by innovative people who live within the means of their ratepayers

* We do have a vision for Auckland - a vision of a council that ensures every dollar spent gives value to its ratepayers

And Mr Hubbard, in his extravagant advertisement, talks of leadership.

A real leader would be out there finding other ways to fund his vision - not steal from the pockets of already over-burdened ratepayers.

And Mayor Hubbard wants ratepayers to have foresight.

It does not take much foresight to calculate that rates will double in less than eight years - maybe as few as five.

And he won't want to hear this - but I foresee that he and all his councillors will not be getting their salaries and travel expenses paid by ratepayers from next October,

Perhaps our most important vision is of a city council which listens to its people.

Those people are speaking loudly now.

But Mayor Hubbard is not listening.

ENDS

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