“Being appointed a highly paid commissioner by Labour, has gone to former National MP Anne Tolley’s head.
“The people of Tauranga are having an election. The right to choose who speaks for us is our democratic birthright, but nobody told Anne Tolley, Tauranga’s Marie Antoinette.
“It’s time Tauranga gave her the same treatment. The power has gone to her head, and we say off with it.
“The unelected ‘mayor’ released advice today saying ‘Tauranga’s priorities outlined for by-election candidates.’ Wait a minute. The priorities are set by the voters, not the unelected career politician from Ohope.
“She goes on to say that the candidates are ‘out of touch.’ Really? How out of touch is someone who got put on a $320,000 salary by the Labour Government for two terms without asking for a single vote?
“This comes after Tolley tried to haul me in for a tune up. She wrote to me saying ‘my fellow Commissioners and I would like to invite you to our offices for a briefing.’ In other words, before you run you have to make friends with the unelected commissioners.
“If you don’t go, they tell you they are ‘out of touch.’
“Tauranga gets this because nobody stands up to it. Labour appointed Tolley as the tzar of Tauranga. National bred her political career. Tauranga needs a distinctive voice to represent it and call time on dictatorship squeezing out democracy."
