Lesbian political activist Lisa Praeger has thrown her hat into the emerging four ring circus of the Auckland City local body election. Cowboy-hatted Praeger, who has announced she will stand for the mayoralty, has been a thorn in the flesh of councils and mayors for over a decade, campaigning agressively for more humanity and public accountability in local government. She was particularly vocal during the Banks mayoralty, campaigning against the sale of council housing for the elderly by then-mayor John Banks and the conservative Citizens and Ratepayers-dominated council. Banks, meanwhile, has announced that he will try to reclaim the mayoral chains snatched from him by current mayor Dick Hubbard. Banks became notorious during his time as Mayor, his many years as a Radio Pacific talkback host, and his time as a National party cabinet minister for his constant stream of anti-gay rhetoric and slurs. Some of the more memorable Banks quotes include his suggestion, whilst Minister of Police, that anti-discrimination legislation would see New Zealand public forced to accept policemen in tutus. He also decsribed the gay maori men featured on an NZAF safe-sex poster as a bunch of "sad losers." He was declaimed as hypocritical after courting the 'gay vote' at the last election, claiming many gay men wanted to see him as mayor. None of those apparent supporters ever identifiably came forward. In a third complication, glbt-friendly Bruce Hucker, a longtime councillor and deputy mayor has lost the support of his glbt-friendly City Vision party over the Watercare dividend debacle. Hucker has espoused equal rights for gays all his political career and has been a feature of many glbt political and community events in Auckland. But it seems doubtful that, if re-elected as a councillor, he would be re-chosen as deputy mayor. A fourth candidate of particular glbt interest is current Auckland City mayor Dick Hubbard. After a shaky start to his mayoralty, after being revealed as a co-signatory to the now infamous John Sax-penned secret letter which sought to convince MPs that gay and lesbian parents are more likely that other parents to abuse and kill our children, Hubbard met with gays and lesbians and began to attend glbt events. He has subsequently become supportive of glbt initiatives in the city, a highlight of which was his securing of financial support for a Town Hall celebration marking twenty years of Homosexual Law Reform. A number of gay and lesbian candidates are also standing for positions on the Auckland City council and community boards. Ref: GayNZ.com (j)