THE CASTING VOTE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 116, 19 May 1933, Page 6

THE CASTING VOTE

jgY THE easting vote of the Mayor, the Stratford Borough

Council has decided upon a very radical change in its policy. This illustrates the unsatisfactory result of the mayoralty or the chairmanship of any body not being removed from the arena of conflict. In the Stratford case, it would appear, from the challenge of Mr. Thompson, the ex-Mayor, that the policy now to be implemented was never placed before the electors during the mayoral contest, and that therefore the present Mayor, Mr. McMillan, has no mandate from the electors for his present conduct. This only makes the result the worse. The casting vote of the chairman is not a deliberate vote; that is to say, it is not a vote to register the deliberation of him who has the exercise of that vote. It is a power vested in a chairman, who is supposed to have a degree of impartiality, to enable him to resolve a deadlock. Because of that purpose a casting vote is never properly used to implement a change. If there is no majority for a change of policy or conduct, then a casting vote used deliberately by the Mayor or the chairman does not give to the proposal a majority of deliberators, and therefore it has not sufficient sanction. The use of a casting vote to implement an innovation is a misuse of a power, for the easting vote then becomes a deliberate vote.

Only an ignorant chairman. Or ona imbued with an undue sense of his victory at the polls, would go counter to such a wellestablished practice of using a casting vote only to dissolve a deadlock, and which practice is founded on sound logic. In view of the fact that, the Mayor of Stratford attained to his office on the toss of a coin, ho would be very wise to conform to established practice, a practice which is found to be desirable, even by gentlemen who have won to office by the support of a*large majority.