“Cowards” and “imbeciles” did it

Tue, Jul 17 2012

Yesterday I read the following quotes from Mayor Barbara Arnott in HB Today:

“It’s so disappointing. The stretch between Bay View and Westshore has people on it all the time, so these cowards have probably gone along there at night to do this.”

“Napier is a good community. And the one thing that can defeat these imbeciles is that community.”

“So it hurts them because they have to be paid for.”

“If people suspect this sort of activity is taking place call the police. We shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

I was astonished and jumped to the phone to call Westshore beach protection advocate Larry Dallimore and congratulate him.

Larry answered my call.

“Larry, I can’t believe it,” I exclaimed. “You finally got through to Mayor Arnott. She sounds really p****d about the debacle at Westshore. She says the council’s beach restoration work is the work of ‘imbeciles’ … just like you’ve been saying all along. Congratulations, maybe the tide will now turn.”

“Sorry Tom,” Larry replied. “Cool your jets. You need to read the article more closely. She was talking about some vandals who snapped off about a dozen newly planted Norfolk pine trees. That’s awful, but it’s not millions of ratepayer dollars wasted on failed beach replenishment.”

You can imagine my embarrassment.

Spending millions on failed beach replenishment at Westshore is business as usual for the Napier Council. But don’t mess with those Norfolk pines!

Larry, please stand for the Napier Council next year!

Tom Belford

ENDS

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