Where are the candidates for the Banks Peninsula Ward: Have not seen any in the Governors Bay Area: If one can guarantee that they will up-grade the street lighting they will get my vote: The street light is pathetic for a stretch of road that has a 50klm speed limit, especially coming up to and around the hotel and up to the fire station;

Sideshow Bob or a Pensioner !!! What sort of options are they ??

All the comment I see is focused on the perifery of the fundamentals. The fundamental is: What should the Council spend my hard earned money(most of which I do not have!)on, and should they have a god-given right to continue willy-nilly escalating the amounts they rip off us? Who decides how much they demand off each contributor? Answer: the MOSS(Masses of Supportees and Subsidees), who(because there is more of them) have the voting power to vote in rabidly redistributional govts(who, among masses of other similar rip-offs, make the voting [and other] rules for local gvt). Councils should not have the right to rip off those of us who ran twice as many miles(not well off due to superior fundamental intellect - or even well off at all!) to afford a better home, better location, with a hugely greater rates bill - or to presume that, because we have a better home/location, we can more afford to be ripped-off hugely more - some of us have a (maybe)more valuable home, but little or no income(thankyou GFC - aka a few merrill/Leahman[& other] people shafting the rest of the world to enrich themselves), a circumstance not addressed, except to suggest we should sell our expensive abode for a "heap of shit one" to disqualify us from a huge rates bill! What an unmitigated cheek of an attitude! Or to presume that a $500 odd discount, dished out to some(whose face fits), lessens the burden of a massive bill which typically might be two, three, four times what is paid by those MOSS who own their homes.

I applaud the approach of the World inter-Governmental Panel on climate change; at least they see and address a problem when there is one there! The approach I refer to is their recognition that there is a problem and the magnitude of the problem(how many even see a problem with Council's activity and constant escalation of their rip-off rates, let alone that it is an immense one!), by their reference to a 1990 benchmark and setting optimium levels of emissions reduction to levels BELOW that measure, not recommending a limited inflationary amount!

I will vote for any Mayor or councillor who I hear pronounce a policy to impose a maximum increase in rates equalling each year's inflation - starting from the 1990 rates level. Ie. there will be a moritorium on increase from now until the 1990 rates level plus 20 yrs inflation, catches up with today's rip-off rates level! Such a measure might slow down the endless propensity of Council to agrandize themselves by thinking up yet more extravagant splurging of my money( on all sorts of unnecessaries; an agrandized new building for council staff together with sections neighbouring, to enable staff a view unfettered by other buildings, more for (relatively)free housing for the masses, recobbling the square over and over, pandering to Ngai Tahu by selling them public assets at less than fair value so N.T can make an income off the ratepayers by on-selling at a higher price, etc., etc.). Rodney, HELP! reign in this malignant squandering!

Failing this happening, I will make my protest by not voting!

Doug #3, vote for me on the Canterbury District Health Board, rank number 1, thanks. If you're in Spreydon-Heathcote, give me a tick, http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/

#5 - Jim Anderton won't be able to close those sex shops(which I agree are a bad look), it just can't be done. At least the present council will not renew liquor licenses for dairys & 24/7's which is very good. What has Anderton done in 30 years of being an MP? - nothing apart from open a bank funded by the tax payer!

As a visitor to Christchurch I was looking forward to the Garden City and what I was told was a night life that was a well kept secret. Yep, sure is. And as for the gardens - more of a concrete jungle. What a drab run down place the city is. Get a mayor with a vision and energy. I don't think the options look up to it.

Christchurch here are the issues as I see it. Dull- The massive empty lots around town- the foul row of shops down our main St. The grey cold square with the mess of bad 60's and 80's buildings surrounding it. Heritage buildings pulled down for car yards and the mess that is the bus exchange and bus lanes. The $650 unexplained increase in consent fees over night for a service that is still terrible, with no standard bench mark of time or uniform standard. The Arts center disaster with the new building/moving the stalls back to the south west area away from public view. The lack of decent events or jobs being created... Neither of these two will do a decent job of it, Bob is caught up spending our money to make the CCC a multi national company with unchecked and unlimited funds. Jim is too old and only is working part time so he can slip into the slipper of running the CCC when his day job runs out next year. SOS...we are going down.

What is this city comming to ,just walk from south city to the Sq only to find 6 sex shops on the way, Ch Ch is becoming so run done, we have it all boy racers taggers sex workers ,muggers the lot, what we need is a new mayor for sure.. vote JIM

Hey the opinion poll gives a good indication of the fever pitch this election is running at eh? Not to mention the huge number of blogs. Really stirred the city up....not!

Yawn, any chance of any other candidates? Anyone, please? I would not mind voting this time but not with this set of choices.