Are people being too mean to Tory Whanau?

And would Wayne Brown cop the same flak?

Photo by Pat Ho on Unsplash

I want you to imagine, just for a moment, that Wayne Brown  faced the public relations nightmares set out below.

Let’s start with the mayor entering a downtown Auckland restaurant, becoming visibly intoxicated, prompting the staff to eventually cut off service. He then left without paying his bill. He denies any confrontation or remarks to the staff like, “Do you know who I am?” but admits to being “tipsy” and forgetting to pay.

He promises to amend his ways but, within a few months, he is seen again in another bar in a similar state. Two weeks later, he issues a statement acknowledging a drinking problem and announces he is seeking professional help.

Brown is supposed to represent Auckland’s interests on the board of a significant, strategic asset - an airport perhaps - where the city council holds a substantial stake. Over the course of the year, he attends just four out of eight meetings. His absences are explained away as “clashes with other business”.

Brown’s attendance record ranks the lowest among board members, and eyebrows are raised over his apparent lack of commitment to the city’s financial interests.

Around this time, polling has Brown sitting at the very bottom of a nationwide mayoral approval poll. His council’s own polling shows a mere 17 percent of Aucklanders are satisfied with its performance, while a staggering 52 percent express dissatisfaction.

He is accused of missing key civic functions, including citizenship ceremonies, public events and regional forums. When he cancels his appearance at a regional mayoral forum on water reform, he cites the violent and suspicious death of a man in council-owned housing as his reason for staying in Auckland.

A week later, it is revealed that the death was neither violent nor suspicious, prompting other regional leaders to wonder about his priorities. Civic leaders become puzzled when Brown withdraws from oversight committees, opting to appoint a substitute because he feels more effective at a "high level."

The mayor then orchestrates a deal with the owners of an Auckland cinema complex, which involves the injection of $32 million of ratepayer money into buying the land with a pledge to revitalise the area. Critics quickly label this move as corporate welfare, especially after leaked details reveal the council's intention to sell other assets to fund the deal. As controversy brews, revelations emerge that Auckland ratepayers funded a $1,400 dinner for Brown, key council staff and the complex's overseas owners.

Just before a final council vote, the deal unravels. Brown's chief financial officer informs him that there is no guarantee of recouping the council's investment. Backed into a corner, Brown pulls the plug on the arrangement to avoid a likely defeat at the council table.