Efeso Collins is calling on Aucklanders to get behind him as the only candidate with a positive vision for this city.

“I want to thank Viv Beck for conducting her campaign with such grace and her willingness to engage with all sides and I wish her all the best for her next endeavours.

"And I encourage her supporters to get behind my campaign as we share the same approach of wanting to listen, be collaborative and find constructive solutions.

“However I’m also disappointed to learn Wayne Brown will not be attending tonight’s NZ Herald debate.

“Aucklanders deserve better than a candidate trying to run a campaign via a few flashy billboards in just a handful of suburbs while avoiding engaging with voters across our city by missing a key event run by one of Auckland’s main media outlets. This is an insult to Aucklanders and an insult to the democratic process.

“Wayne needs to front up about his erroneous claims that Auckland’s CCOs can be self-funded, he needs to front up about his wacky numbers on the Ports of Auckland and he needs to front up what he’s selling or who he's going to fire to pay for the cuts that he’s promising.

“Not only does Auckland have over 30,000 ghost houses, we now have ghost mayoral candidates. But it’s not good enough and Aucklanders deserve better - which is a contest of ideas."
 

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