New council has urgent work

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32734, 11 October 1971, Page 1

New council has urgent work

Like new brooms, Christchurch’s Mayor-elect (Mr N. G. Pickering) and his 10 council colleagues will not only have to do some clean sweeping but some very urgent work to implement their policy, because the 1974 Commonwealth Games are getting close to the time when they will be numbered in months instead of years.

“Now we will be able to get on with the preparation of Queen Elizabeth Park,” he said immediately after his election.

Mr Pickering knows that time is important, and in sunport of his choice of site he said recently that a big construction company had said that if it could get on the site by the beginning of December <t would have the swimming-athlet-ics complex at the park completed in time. For that to happen there will have to be negotiations with the Local Authorities Loans Board, and one of Mr Pickering’s first duties must be to have urgent talks with senior council officers to see what is necessary to carry out Labour’s policy.

There is not the same urgency for the second major plank—an alternative to the Harper Avenue park deviation. There has been no work done there since the first moving of earth which led to a renewal of the controversy. With only two councillors with any local body experience, Mr Pickering will have to give some thought to

chairmen of the standing committees. However, there will not be a need to find replacements for all the displaced chairmen. The work of some of the committees has declined and whichever party won the election there would probably have been some streamlining. There could easily be an amalgamation of such committees as traffic, which has lost its importance since traffic control was handed over to the Ministry of Transport, electricity, and airport, where there is always some development but operations are smooth.

Since completion of the district planning scheme review the city development committee has not had such an important role as when it was first set up with the Mayor (Mr A. R. Guthrey) as chairman.

Deputy-Mayor A first appointment must be that of Deputy-Mayor, and Mr Pickering would naturally look towards those with local body experience Messrs R. M. Macfarlane and D. R. Dowell.

Having been elected to the council for a first time in 1926 and with a total of 20 years as a councillor and 11 as Mayor, Mr Macfarlane has a wealth of experience. He appears to have enjoyed the election as well as Saturday’s result and to be back in fine health. But he probably does not want to go back to some of his old duties. He can be assured of becoming chairman of a major committee, perhaps works.

That leaves Mr Dowell as the experienced man, and on his record he would make an excellent choice. He was Mayor of Timaru from 1965 until he resigned recently when moving home and business to Christchurch,

being elected unopposed three years ago. He is an accomplished speaker, and with his business interests commends himself for the positions of deputy to Mr Pickering and chairman of the finance committee.

With a dearth of experienced councillors, it is possible that the Mayor may take the chairmanship of one himself. He sees the comparatively new urban renewal and property administration committee as one of growing importance, particularly with the acquisition of land for motorways and roads; and that may be his part. “Full-time” Mr Pickering intends to become a "full-time” Mayor and this would leave him time for committee work beyond ex officio membership.

The health and clean air committee, to which Mr Pickering was appointed chairman by his political opponents, could go to Mrs M. McG. Clark, a new member but one experienced in business and in executive positions in organisations. Faced with a dearth of experience inevitable when there is such a big turnover, the Labour Party might recall the precedent set by the i last council in selecting Mr Pickering for a chairmanship. If so, it need look no further than Mr P. J. Skellerup for a return to his duties as chairman of the reserves committee. Mr Skellerup was at one with the Labour councillors in opposition to the park road and his public popularity, demonstrated again on Saturday, together might override politics. A change in the governing council party brings consequential changes in other fields such as the Metropolitan Fire Board and the Regional Planning Authority along with many appointments to boards and organisations, but most of ' these are not immediate problems.