Well, the ballots have been counted, the results are in, and Jono Naylor is the new mayor of Palmerston North. I guess merely doing a good job (as Red Heather has done) doesn't count for much when your opponent can spend you into the ground. But on the plus side, his backers, the "tight eight", look to be down to a "tight five", and while some of the newcomers may side with them, it may make things a little more difficult for the business cabal which currently directs policy in this dump.
Meanwhile, Arshad Chatha, otherwise known as "the guy in jail", got 155 votes. I guess some people do tick a box at random. The same could be said about Kyle Chapamn's disturbing 700-odd votes in Christchurch, but OTOH, there are Nazis down there.
Still, no matter how disappointed I am at the results, I can at least console myself with one thought: at least I don't live in Auckland. John banks as mayor for another thre years? Ugh!
