Changes need to be made to the Local Government Act so it actually has some teeth.
Currently it looks like a set of recommendations, not a legally binding set of rules, with no penalties for transgressions.
Access to Candidates' Curriculum Vitae should be a mandatory requirement.
Councillors may be vastly under-qualified to make multi-million decisions and have wasted $ millions.
Questions for candidates - details of their understanding of critical analysis, long term planning, independent decision making, evidence of consultation with the community
- What general qualifications or experience do you have?
- What financial experience or qualifications do you have?
- (If current councillor) What evidence do you have of successful council projects?
- What public meetings have you organised with ratepayers?
- How would you vote (or would you have voted) on the following projects? (recent major council projects). Why?
- How many consultants reports have you voted for and at what cost?
- How many of these reports have their cost justified in successful projects?
- Show evidence that you can make strategic long term decisions.
- Show evidence that you can do in-depth research into projects.
- Show evidence that you can make independent decisions and not just go along with a majority.