In Friday’s announcement of the final canidate list there were a number of people who came out of the wood work. Some of them are failed candidates from previous years, there are one or two with an existing public profile and of course there are quite a few rabble who don’t seem to have (yet) launched serious campaigns.
Over the next few days we’ll be doing a series of blog posts – ‘Fisking the Candidates’ – where we will take a look at them. We’re starting today with the Onslow-Western Ward. We have also updated our Candidates page, also of interest someone has created a Wikipedia page for the election.
If you have any info on any of the candidates, please send it through to wccwatch@gmail.com
Onslow-Western Ward
Like almost all the other wards, the three sitting councillors are standing again. They’ve all done a reasonable job and stand a good chance of getting re-elected. Labour’s Sharon Blaikie has also been campaigning for a few months, and should prove to be a strong challenger. We have looked at this ward before.
Announced on Friday were three new candidates for Onslow-Western…
Jack Ruben
A former councillor for Onslow-Western, he was dumped at the 2007 election. Even though he gained more first preference votes than Jo Coughlan, she picked up more on preferences and was elected in the 6th iteration. He wasn’t a popular councillor and will struggle.
Ingrid Sage
Very little know about her candidacy or her campaign. She is an Economist working for the Electricity Commission.
Mike Fleming
Also very little known at about Mr Fleming. A quick Google reveals several Wellingtonians he could possibly be.
WCC Watch 
Here’s a link to Ruben (during the 2007 election) showing how he can do a remarkably believable impression of being an old git (Nick Kelly on the other hand has a sense of humour).
Oops!!
http://100wordblog.wordpress.com/bits-and-pieces/nick-and-jack-take-to-their-keyboards/
Sharon Blaikie! lol you must be joking. She lives in Karaka bay… which isnt’t exactly Karori!
This ward will be safe for all three incumbents.
Mike Fleming stood for the Regional Council in the last election and has submitted to the WCC district plan. He is from Karori.
Andy Foster is the problem, not the solution. His craziness even eached the stage of almost taking the Council to the Environment Court in 2010 to appeal a decision his own committee had recommended on the Kilbirnie Cobham park indoor arena. To placate him the Council had to seek a $230,000 report confirming the original ‘very obvious’ decision. Is this the sort of behaviour Wellington wants repeated. For $230,000 I’d rather have assistance for a daycare centre to be established for working parents or similar infrastructure than a report confirming the bloody obvious to massage the ego of someone who has been around far too long. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/2337580/Sports-centre-decided. Andy Foster has been a councillor since 1992.
Mystery Morrison was an average cricketer.