Strange that the big numbers in Dunedin’s $300 million annual DCC spend of our money don’t seem to register with most candidates.

A largely left-leaning audience at Opoho Church last night were lapping up Mayor Hawkins’ claims to have been instrumental in getting our new $1.5 Billion Hospital centrally sited [sited on Dunedin’s most expensive not big enough swampy land without checking to see if could take the weight of a 12 story building or have underground carparking] but they were uninterested or uncomprehending of my summary of the unsustainable $100 million of new debt the Hawkins Council has added each year on top of unprecedented rates rises of 9.8% and 5.6%.

Tonight’s Opoho meeting was similarly left-leaning with many Labour/Green candidates singing Hawkins’ praises, but also many in favour of Mayoral aspirant Sophie Barker.

The ‘progressive Dunedin and $1.5 Billion new hospital asset’ Hawkins’ mantra was echoed again, but nobody mentioned any percentages or interest costs or the $3 Billion proposed government/Iwi confiscation of our 3 Waters assets, or other big numbers like the $15+ million deferred line maintenance or $7.5 million cost of moth-balling Taieri Gorge Railway so far, which all candidates wanted retained at some level.