Keith, this question might make this the shortest interview you'll ever do: Do your passengers care about the election?
Oh yes, they do. I reckon I've had more conversations about the council this time around than ever. And the big thing that's driving them to be interested this time is the Forsyth Barr Stadium and the council's indebtedness. Incredible how one big issue, in the stadium, can have so many spin-offs. So, surprisingly, the stadium's an election issue.
What are people saying about it?
Well, it's an issue because of the debt it has helped create and the way it was handled. And people are saying that they're not just worried about the stadium. They are worried about the impact the debt will have on their kids, and their kids' kids. People aren't just thinking about their own rates, they're looking at the legacy of all this stuff for their families.
But isn't council debt a pretty big issue for the uninitiated to think about?
It is, but there's debt and there's debt. People aren't too worried about the money that was borrowed for the sewerage system. That's seen as a necessity, and the water supply work up at Brockville. They're to be expected.
But we're in a recession, people are really struggling, and they now have to pay more rates - and they'll have to keep paying more rates - to help pay for the debt created by some things that, when you're meant to be tightening your belt, look like luxuries.
The stadium was approved before the recession, but it's being paid for now, just like the upgrade to the town hall is being paid for now. People say they don't really see how they [those projects] fit into the necessity list.
Are people thinking about debt when they talk about the councillors themselves?
That and their performance. I've had a few people say they look at things like John Wilson Ocean Dr, and all the to-ing and fro-ing that went on, and they wonder whether another council might've made a decision quicker.
They do associate many of the councillors with the Forsyth Barr Stadium, whether they like it or don't like it, and they see the mayor as the figurehead who's firing the bullets made for him by the council.
So you get the feeling that people will vote based on what they believe the councillors have achieved, and whether they like it. So, the way people are talking, if they don't like what they see, then they will vote for change.
People actually say that?
They do. They say it's time for change, just like some say they are happy with where things are. But I've heard a lot of people say some councillors should be close to retiring anyway, that it's time to see some new blood, a new direction.
What are they saying about the candidates' campaigns?
Nothing. You get the feeling they have seen the signs - some talked about Lee Vandervis' signs because they were different - but I haven't had anyone who has been to a meeting or watched the debates on television.
People have had a few years to see what they think about the people on the council, anyway. So I suppose we'll see how good a job they've done when the voting's done.
