Christchurch Mayor Sideshow Bob has grudgingly conceded that he and his council chums will have to tell Christchurch ratepayers how much they paid for the 'naming rights' for the Ellerslie Garden Show.
Sideshow Bob has always claimed 'commercial sensitivity' for not revealing the cost - the same excuse he used for not revealing that the council were in negotiations with Dave Henderson to buy five of his city properties - but, apparently, the reasons for that 'commercial sensitivity' no longer apply.
Said Sideshow Bob, backpedaling at a rapid rate of knots: 'Holding on to secrets is uncomfortable. I think the rationale for keeping it secret (the price) is nowhere near as important as in the first year.'
And what 'rationale' would that be exactly? What's changed?
Actually, nothing has changed - except that the Chief Ombudsman has recommended to Sideshow Bob and the Christchurch City Council that it should disclose the amount it paid for the Auckland garden show
So Sideshow Bob is now in a position of having to front up - or be seen to be going against the recommendation of the Chief Ombudsman.
Which, to borrow a phrase someone else has been using recently, 'would not be a good look'.
Sue Wells just said it: 3 mill.
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