14th December 2008
statement from David Thornton
ARC chairman should apologise for insensitive remarks I was horrified at the reported comments of ARC chairman, Mike
Lee, in a story in today's Herald on Sunday about the David Beckham financial fiasco - a fiasco which will turn into
huge costs to ratepayers.
In that story Mike Lee, commenting on the revalations of losses incurred, is reported as saying 'It's like a plane
crash.' Such a comment, made less than three weeeks after the tragic loss of life in the plane crash near Perplgnan, can
at best be described as insensitive. But worse was to follow.
Mr Lee, referring to the ARCs failure to monitor problems during the planning of the Beckham game, reportedly went on to
say '..there were no alarm signals until the plane was about to hit the mountain'.
Had Mr Lee forgotten that the Perpignan tragedy happened on the 29th Anniversary of the Erebus disaster? To top it off
Mr Lee's next reported comment was 'We didn't have the radar switched on properly; we were getting false readings'. I
hope that, upon reflection, Mike Lee, arguably Auckland's most senior community leader, will offer apologies for these
insensitve remarks - or refute their accuracy.
If Mr Lee refutes the statements then the Herald on Sunday should apologise
ENDS