An inadequate building will leave a legacy of poorer healthcare in the South for many reasons, not least the disastrous flow-on effects on staff morale, retention and recruitment. The Medical School, the heart of advanced services, will be blighted.
It’s pleasing to see the city council’s leadership and determination in the ongoing battle to Build it Once, Build it Right, Build it Now.
A side-effect of the campaign is to enhance common purpose and bring the council together. Given the divisions and the employment matter with chief executive Sandy Graham, this is encouraging.
The councillors can be gratified by the planning, professionalism, and efficiency behind the gathering of about 1000 people.
All speakers were effective, pitching at the right level with their emotion, information and persuasive arguments.
Bringing home television and radio presenter Kanoa Lloyd from Auckland as MC was smart. The proud "Queen’s girl" (Queen’s High School) balanced humour and a firm touch. She kept the evening moving.
The ongoing challenge, as emphasised, is to maintain enthusiasm and pressure. The government is relying on our disgust, anger and resolve to fizzle out as time goes on. It must not.
*****
Councillors and the council, as the public’s "local body", often receive flak for failings. Civic matters affect our lives and should be regularly and thoroughly scrutinised.
This week details on the rumblings about chief executive Sandy Graham were revealed in the ODT.
Her insulting language and swearing raised concerns. Notable is the bad-mouthing of her bosses, the mayor and councillors.
Even if, as happens from time to time, the council is a "s... show" and her frustration is understandable, the council’s chief executive showed poor judgement and serious unprofessionalism in "injudicious" comments.
She is the only council staff member employed directly by the councillors and the most important official in Dunedin. Her staff deserved to be treated with much more respect than was the case.
These days the "f-word" is thrown around with such abandon it has lost much impact, not that that makes it acceptable from someone in Ms Graham’s position.
Worse are the "f...tards" comments, a terrible insult to a precious part of the disabled community. Surely, Ms Graham should have understood that.
She acknowledged her behaviour was unprofessional, apologised and is endeavouring to improve. Because the matters became entangled in an employment matter, several councillors were reluctant to comment.
Such behaviour by a publicly paid official of her seniority and authority is, however, a matter of public interest. Citizens, her wider employer, deserve to know about it.
This makes Cr Bill Acklin’s response disturbing when he said he was disgusted by the reporting from the ODT on the issue. He said it produced a dramatisation laced with spin. The council was dealing with an employment issue, and this was not meant to be a matter for the wider community.
*****
Mess with cute cats at your peril.
That is what Keep Dunedin Beautiful has done with plans to paint over a 35-year-old mural under the George St bridge.
Connie Fechner’s design, painted by Otago Girls’ High School pupils 35 years ago in 1989, is much appreciated.
But how much of that is our reflex instinct to resist change?
