In a campaign ad today (23 Sep) Councillor Lepper says
"I will advocate for no more water meters: With their petition the people of Clyde have spoken. They do not want water meters and they want a larger allocation of free water ... I will support stopping the introduction of water meters ... I will support the decision on how much free water people get being made by residents and not by council staff."
The rest of the 30 or so column inches seem to be an attack on Jeff.
But what about this flip-flop on meters?
Think about what it means:
(1) A large capital investment - your money - wasted; because all of the installed meters will never be used
(2) A lost opportunity to understand how we use water, and manage demand so that we can afford to install cost-effective water treatment
(3) Much higher future costs as people continue to use water wastefully
But the real lesson is about truth and honesty.
Tony was a supporter of the CODC's approach right up until the heat went on, and he's taken a last-minute populist stance in an attempt to win votes. Whether he wins the Mayoralty or not, he's disqualified himself from future debates on this topic (by pre-determination), so even if he could make a difference, he's just blown it!
He's implied that somehow elected members were not responsible for decisions about 'free' water (there is no such thing of course), and that staff made the decisions - which is about as far from the truth as you can get!
Malcolm Macpherson
Thursday September 23, 2010