Race for mayoral robes
Dunedin mayoral candidates were put on the spot with quick-fire questions and audience interaction at the University of Otago last night.
The subjects came thick and fast at an event hosted by the Generation Screwed movement.
They included cost-of-living pressures, the standard of housing, rental costs, cycleways, infrastructure investment, use of the stadium, the former Sammy’s venue and a lack of student bars.
They sometimes struggled to produce succinct answers before the chimes of the time-keeping bell, particularly Mr Ong.
Mr Treadwell, the Green Party candidate, called for the council to provide a rental inspection service, similar to what happened in Wellington.
He also wanted to see a subsidised student bar set up.
The council had to take on more debt to make the city more resilient for its future, he said.
Cr Mayhem, who paid off her student loan last year, said she would be a "mayor with flair".
Students needed to be able to complain about their accommodation without fear of consequences from landlords, she said.
"Wouldn’t it be good if we could do a rents cap, rather than a rates cap?"
The council should sell the Sammy’s building, she said.
Cr Barker said she had become more familiar with how "crappy the Tenancy Tribunal is to deal with".
Mr Radich said it was "quite important I stay as mayor".
The candidates were asked about reviving the Albany St cycleway project.
"Cycleways will not save the planet," Mr Radich responded.
The university needed to take some responsibility for student bars closing over the years, he said.
Mr Radich also at one point claimed rates would soon be "on the way down" — presumably meaning rates rises were forecast to become less steep.
Mr Ong emphasised his background in the banking sector and said there needed to be a permanent and ongoing relationship between the council and university.
Generation Screwed says it is a student-led political movement, standing up for the next generation of taxpayers.
