Respected media commentator and left-wing blogger Russell Brown has spoken out against Auckland Mayoral hopeful John Banks, calling him "a nasty little bully and a bigot" for his comments against the gay community on radio talkback. Banks best efforts to present himself as an inclusive and improved candidate in his campaign for a second run at Mayoralty lead him to the Gay Auckland Business Association's Mayoral debate earlier this month, where he promised goodwill, openness and transparency if elected, and acknowledged "the substantial contribution" made to the city by gay and lesbian businesspeople. He also stated that he has always treated gay and lesbian people with "respect and dignity." "Banks is claiming to be a reformed man," wrote Brown in his Public Address blog yesterday. Pointing out his numerous anti-gay comments on talk-back radio in recent years, he concluded: "I don't believe at all that he has changed his beliefs. He's still a nasty little bully and a bigot." Current Mayor Dick Hubbard's 2004 signing of a letter opposing the Civil Unions Bill - which quoted highly negative statistics regarding children in gay/lesbian families - came up in Brown's blog discussion later - with one reader describing Hubbard as "a self proclaimed moral conservative who goes to the Big Gay Out because he's discovered that gay people have votes. Even though he doesn't want them raising children. The only advantage you could give Hubbard over Banks in this area is that one of them has learned to keep his mouth shut." Brown replied in defence of Hubbard, saying the Mayor delivered a mea culpa at the GABA debate, "and essentially said he was ignorant and didn't really know any gay people when he signed that silly letter about gay parents. I'm more inclined to believe him than I am Banks, and it sounds like the crowd at the meeting was too." Voting forms and candidate information booklets for all local council and district health board elections have now been sent out to mailboxes across New Zealand. If sending back your voting form by post, it is recommended that it be posted no later than 5pm Wednesday 10 October to ensure your vote reaches the electoral officer in time to be counted. Ref: Public Address, GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 25th September 2007 - 11:21am