Results are in... 850+ to Anderson

Image via WikipediaAnother 850 votes from Christchurch City.

Not too bad given the media blackout on issues, no debate and the earthquake. Oh and a budget of less than 20 dollars. 

It should be noted that despite an increased turnout, the incumbent Mayor, Bob Parker was returned but his popularity is still tempered by >74% of Christchurch Citizens over 18yrs not voting for him.  Barely a mandate.

Retiring MP, Jim Anderton proved to be 'yesterdays man' with about 1 in 5 support.

(*still some specials etc to come in)

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• Earthquake destroying Anderton's chances - Parker expected to win Christchurch according to polls... (peter-petterson.blogspot.com)
• Bob Parker wins Christchurch election (nzherald.co.nz)
• Mayor's fortunes revived by earthquake response (nzherald.co.nz)
• Parker overtakes Anderton in mayoral race - poll (nzherald.co.nz)
• Anderton and earthquakes (norightturn.blogspot.com)

1% goes to Anderson, not bad for $20

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker has stormed to a decisive lead in the mayoral race a week out from election day, a Press poll shows.
The survey of 400 voters, conducted between September 24 and 29, showed that of those who had voted or planned to vote, Parker had 36 per cent support to Jim Anderton's 20 per cent.  Another 28 per cent had not decided, 16 per cent would not disclose and 1 per cent opted for Blair Anderson.

(of course Jim will be saying I have been out stealing his votes)

--
 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

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Christchurch Mayoralty, Sex Education and STV

Image via Wikipedia

Jim Mora, 

Radio New Zealand Afternoons.

What the polls tell us is Bob Parker will be about as popular as 2007 when four out of five voters didn't vote for him.  

The polls are telling us the same of Jim this time around.

Bring on STV, it will cure the media of the pretence to two horse racing. 

Neither Bob nor Jim have been tested in the public arena. 

Has the former Drug Czar ever been tested if he would ever deliver on core issues that were under his brief for so long. Safer Christchurch? on Climate Changing Christchurch, or even on Healthy Christchurch. 

Bob's an Alcohol Champion whose 2007 electoral campaign included touring with Police on cannabis busts.  (Press debates)

Now we learn Parker's SAFER Christchurch Crime-fighting and Emergency skills descended to dissing the "Emergency" Police out of a chopper ride to view the damage presumably to show his wife 'this is my life in fluoro'  (Canterbury Issues). 

If one thought Bob has done a wonderful job, one would either have amnesia, is star-struck or its a full moon. His term has been a travesty of civic governance.

As for Anderton, he's responsible for a drug policy mess that requires Dunne to lie about it to the Criminal Justice sector. 

Not that drug policy hasnt messed up teens in general. Eight hundred of the thousand young people who went through the University of Otago longitudinal study [CHDS]  would be in Anderton's Jails, suspended, expelled or taken from their parents, that is if we hadn't buggered their life with a lifelong Criminal/Justice record going by his rules.

Could former Health Minister Anderton (and likely chair of Healthy Christchurch) explain to us sceptics how Dutch teen pregnancy, STD's, trouble with the law and youth suicide is one fifth ours and convince us it has nothing to do with removing the double standards. 

And we want to make this man Mayor of Bob's BoyRacerville where we sit in wait and chase the young buggers down the busiest streets in town as fast as we can and not expect harm maximisation?  Turn out your pockets kids!

What Republic of Christchurch Mayoral candidate has expertise across the inter-sectoral policy base again?  The one kicked out of Healthy Christchurch or the one arrested and charged for talking about it? Or the one banned from Anderton's Wigram office because his own Ministry suggested he talk to me and he felt asking for the meeting was threatening behaviour? It's on parliamentary letterhead.

In August and September  we had two of the worlds experts here talking about youth and drugs (Prof Nutt and Sir Ian Gilmore) and no one noticed? They talked in the Rolleston lecture theatre at the med school. Drugs are about health. When a few days later Joe Boden PhD,  reported on cannabis and youth to the entire Canterbury health/alcohol/youth/drug sector telling us how bad we doing [its our data, not the Netherlands'] and NO hard questions are asked of these Mayoral public health pretenders...

Alcohol and other Drugs health promotion is deluding us all and media pretends it doesn't get it?
(I feel another Tui billboard coming on).

If Healthy Christchurch followed its signatory obligation to the Ottawa Charter much could be learned. (including attracting multimillion dollar research budgets)

But with either of these two canvassing clowns at the head of the table the next three years we will assuredly be asking why we still still be asking the same questions in 2013? 

Why should media care.. without dysfunction their wouldn't be news huh!

Both Parker and Anderton come with guarantees as good as gold. They are both blessed by this earthquake, teh focus on re-building saves them from confronting themselves.

To improve sex education and youth 'best practice' policy, spread STV.

 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist 'at large'
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/
http://blair4mayor.com/
http://efsdp.org/

ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

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Political Intelligence Lead to Deaths

Media Release:  no embargo

Blair Anderson, Christchurch Mayoral Candidate.

Friday, 3rd Sept, 2010

Inadequate Intelligence leads to Deaths.

The Police incident that resulted in the Coronial Inquiry into Napier Police Officer Len Snee's death and injury to others parallels the incident a year later in Christchurch that resulted in the death of Police Dog Gage and the wounding of two other police officers. 

The common but unresolved issue in both events is the failure by successive Governments to ensure SAFER COMMUNITIES TOGETHER by legally regulating the popular and seemingly  socially acceptable recreational psychoactive soft drug, Cannabis.

Lets all be "Intelligent" says the MildGreen Social Ecology activist and Christchurch Mayoral Candidate Blair Anderson, "and fix this anomaly."

Yesterdays (sept2) presentation in Christchurch to Community Health leaders regarding what is to be learned from NZ's world  renowned Multidisciplinary and Longitudinal health studies has informed us that cannabis is not just popular amongst youth (80% <25yrs) but its use remains prevalent into adulthood. It also shows that few come to any problem but identifies that it is also enforced disproportionally profiling males, young and those who have previously come into contact with the law clearly identifying that enforcement is problematic, ineffective and inefficient.  

For those that do experience the full force of the law, the science shows it doesn't do anything to deter use.

A scientific review by emminent Canadian epidemiologists completed in March 2010 following similar incidences involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police asking "Does drug law enforcment affect levels of drug market violence? (Werb, Rowell, Kerr, Montaner, and Wood, Urban Health Research Initiative, Vancouver)  shows such violence is a NATURAL CONSEQUENCE of drug prohibition.

So why do we do "prohibition" so badly, as demonstrated by the terrible cost borne by Police and their Dogs?

Time to Get Smart and apply some decent Drug Intelligence. No stab proof vests or extra supervision required.

"Perhaps my compatriot Mayoral Candidate and former Associate Minister of Health, Hon Jim Anderton can tell us why he ignored the science for change in the legal status from as far back as 2006 round table and answer this question, would Len Snee, Gage and Jan Molenaar be alive or dead today if he had made Cannabis a SAFERCHOICE alternative to to Alcohol under the provisions he passed by Order In Council gazetted in October 2008 - legally regulating recreational psychoactive soft drug sales, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health?"

see Misuse of Drugs (Restricted Substances) Regulations 2008 (SR 2008/373)  at legislation.govt.nz

If the answer is as the science suggests, Anderton does not deserve to be rewarded for failure with the golden chains to New Zealand's SAFEST CITY.  

Nor too should Mayor Bob Parker escape scrutiny, on the day Parker was accepting the UN accredited SAFER CITIES award, the very mechanism of 'drug market violence' was being perpetrated with Samuri Swords, Axes and Knives on a family 'for their stash' in Cashel Street. [They didn't even have any.]

Mayor Parker's corporate media machine touts his reelection stand for SAFER Christchurch, but he admonished Anderson for being disrespectful to Police before full council for positing community safety and SAFERCHOICE.ORG on the day that Len Snee was being buried.

"Parker deserves to be stripped of those chains for promoting inner city VintageTrams to and from Wine factories and (fmr Mayor) Garry Moore's Bar, past David Henderson's developments and 'the Strip' all the while being a pretender to public safety" says candidate Anderson whose last run in with the law, saw him arrested 'for daring to say so in public' resulting in Police Bail "forbidden from entering the Four Ave's for a month."  John A Lee would be spinning in his grave.

"Parker is a Champion for Alcohol all right;  must the underground advice he's getting from his almost academic wife, though for what they have in common he and Anderton would make a great couple."

Blair (for Mayor) Anderson  affiliation: http://blairformayor.blogspot.com ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

note to all media: the affiliation is officially approved as evidenced on voter forms and election literature published by the Chief Returning Officer. It is democratically remis to fail to advise the electorate of ALL candidates affiliation. The writer's use of a 'webaddress' was pioneered in 2002, and upheld by the Justice and Electoral Committee after a formal complaint by Hon Jim Anderton. See Hansard. The writer is the only person contesting the Christchurch Mayoralty to have won the right (again) to use new media as an effective democratic tool. Anderson's campaigns are notable for the absence of visible street signage.

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Third Wheel or Third Rail Issues?

Wanted: Better Stories about a Policemen and their Dogs.

If ANY of the candidates running for mayor were given 1/10th of the exposure the Jim/Bob show has been given they might have had half a chance. Passing muster at the Media 'approval' gateway seems to be the greatest hurdle to getting ANY traction on issues largely defined by Media.  (SEE Press Online :  Do we need a third wheel? )

This fellow has contested elections against BOTH Jim and Bob, whereas no one else has.

This fellow has been acknowledged as one of the most well known activists around the hustings for social ecology and out classes ANY of the remaining mayoral others in contributing to debate around best practice administration. 

And, laughably even when reporting the "Grey Power" meeting the Press still couldn't get it right in suggesting I was somehow anti-drug, when I pointed out it was Hon. Jim Anderton who "legally regulated psychoactive recreational soft drug use, sale, storage, manufacture, advertising, premises, labelling and age of consent R18" and ASKING BEFORE THE AUDIENCE if cannabis had been put into those regulations would Gage the Police Dog be Alive or Dead today?.... or for that matter Napier Officer Len Snee (Bob Parker declared it a central gvmt issue at the Long Term District Plan hearings when I was submitting that such rules would make the street SAFER - it was the day Len Snee was buried. I said it would happen here and a year later it did!)

Now if Councils are to determine the process and approval for liquor licencing purportedly to protect the public health, and the rules above were passed by the Associate Minister of Health and administered under the Ministry of Health, one could reasonably expect that MIGHT BE a reasoned debate since it IMPLICATES both candidates. 

The PRESS dumbed down and thus endangered the next Policeman and his Dog.

The rules are there. They were made by the contesting candidate to manage BZP (A Christchurch problem and focus of previous Mayoral issues) and as CANNABIS is clearly and indisputably a soft drug, if these rules cannot be applied in Christchurch under the stewardship of their very author (and LABOUR party ) then where....?

Think about it, any other policy on the council agenda that "kills Policemen and their Dogs" ?

Why would media want to shut that debate down?

Or is such collateral damage OK to send messages to children, in a PEACE CITY.

-- http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/blogs/campaign-chatter/3965799/Do-we-need-a-third-wheel?comment_msg=posted#post_comment

 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist 'at large'

http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/

http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/

http://efsdp.org/

ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

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• Just Say... Why Not Now. (mildgreens.blogspot.com)

First Come, STV and Water.

"It's a Central Government issue, Blair." Image via Wikipedia

(as commented on STUFF in reference to ECAN / Water debacle)

Some will recall the 'water' question at the 2007 Town Hall Mayoral debate. Few will recall one Mayoral candidate who pre-empted the most important issue for Canterbury backing in 'Save Our Water' for ECAN, but more importantly denounced the unseen flaw in water management - the historical legacy of the 'first come - first served' provision of the RMA. No matter who runs for and wins the golden chains or how many commissioners are at the behest of Ministerial whim, until that anomaly is fixed the resource is at grave risk.

As a third tilt Mayoral candidate  I shall continue to place reason and science before aspirational goals and misplaced ideology and hold any other candidate to a very high ethical standard by way of robust debate. Notably, in 2004 and 2007, neither Garry Moore nor Bob Parker would rise to debate 'this fellow' on any issue. Perhaps the public should be better informed and ASK media to give ALL candidates given a fair crack of the whip if only to improve the lackluster voter participation.

Single Transferable Vote would enable a this city to elect a real 'champion' with NO LESS THAN a 50% proportion of all votes cast. Such a Mayor would not treat the council of twelve with such fickle regard. And a council similarly elected under STV would be a council 'of proportional consensus' and divested of the political ideology manifest in FPP. Only by accurately reflecting the community in which it serves is a council able to deliver best practice and efficient governance.

Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist 'at large'
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com/
ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

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• Dead man elected as US mayor (telegraph.co.uk)

Seattle Mayor Thinks It's Time To Talk, Christchurch's Doesnt.

Seattle Mayor-elect supports marijuana legalization

Seattle Mayor-elect Mike McGinn as quoted in a recent radio interview on NPR:   "If every elected official who ever smoked marijuana voted to legalize it would probably be legalized in an instant. We recognize that, like alcohol, it's something that should be regulated not treated as a criminal activity and I think that's where the citizens of Seattle want us to go." 

Perhaps he should invite Mayor Bob Parker to come over and see what a  'SAFER CITY'  really looks like.... 

Could there be an honest admission in the future of our incumbent?

/Blair

Open Letter to Bob Parker on Violent Crime

Dear Bob,
(as copied to the Mayors Forum)

Further to our discussions and my repeated requests for 'that meeting' I include substantiative evidence that Seattle's Initiative 75, the one the deals intelligently with the very problem you experienced in your travels with the POLICE that you used so eruditly and even, if I may say so, dishonestly during the Mayoral Debates (Press, Town Hall) yet your waxing lyrical about getting tough on drinking and other adolecent behavours. It appears that the evidence is in... the double standards in Christchurch ARE problematic and you and your staff seem unable to connect the dots. I demand that meeting, or I will continue to hold you to account in public forums on your "green rooming" on this issue. Its time to talk Bob.

---- (link, exerpt and comment follows )

"The panel’s report is the first of its kind in the US to show that de-prioritizing marijuana enforcement has no negative impact on society. In contrast, this report shows that the measure freed up limited law enforcement resources to focus on violent and dangerous crime. This is the result that initiative backers and endorsers, including the League of Women Voters, promised voters when I-75 was on the ballot."

To view the final version of Seattle’s Marijuana Policy Review, visit http://www.seattle.gov/council/mpp/
see also http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7469