Wed, 1 Sep 2004

Berry targets youth vote in Auckland Mayoralty

"Young people don't want a council led by people hungry for power. Whether they be left or right, time-servers or bran flakes, young people have had enough - I will give them a voice in Council that gives money and power back to people," announced Libertarianz candidate for Auckland mayoralty Stephen Berry.

Berry, the youngest mayoral candidate at only twenty-one years of age, says that Council shouldn't be about friends of central-government politicians gilding their egoes with grand plans. Instead, they should get out of the way of businesses and citizens.

"The council has 'strategies' on everything from alcohol to freight to swimming pools," points out Berry. " I would stop wasting ratepayers' money on trying to regulate Aucklanders' behaviour, and concentrate council on getting businesses, volunteer groups and individuals to take responsibility for the city themselves"

"I'm a young Aucklander, who doesn't want every aspect of my life interfered with by local government, and I don't want to be paying off big debts for pet projects like the Eastern corridor or an underground rail system. New motorways should be private toll roads and new railways should be commercially viable in their own right. Council should concentrate on maintaining what it's got and meeting its statutory responsibilities - and no more!" Berry concluded.

ENDS

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