IT'S ALL YANI JOHANSON'S FAULT!

Sideshow Bob returns from his holidays  and tries to smear his council opponents. And has Cr Barry Corbett been hiding under Cr Yani Johanson's bed?

Last week Gerry Brownlee, Lord and Master Over All Living Things, attacked the Christchurch City Council for not doing enough about  repairing its quake-damaged council flats. He particularly singled out Cr Yani Johanson, who chairs the councils community recreation and culture committee, suggesting that he be relieved of his duties.

Johanson also, not uncoincidentally, is a councillor who has consistently opposed the government's bureaucratic and top-down approach to the  rebuild - a rebuild process that  favours the property developers and the corporates at the expense of the good people of Christchurch.

As  I wrote in a previous  post, Gerry Brownlee's attempt at scapegoating Johanson may of also been prompted  by the fact that  

'Johanson moved a motion at the Council's Thursday meeting  to act on  resolution passed by the Council on 12 July 2012 which stated that “That staff urgently report back on possible options/solutions for an independent, non-profit, expert insurance advocacy service within Christchurch. and  'That as part of this report Council request staff to consider funding of up to $200,000 from the Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Relief Fund towards the establishment of such a service or similar.

Despite the fact that the original resolution  was passed last July, council staff have  admitted that they haven't  yet got round  to doing  any work on the issue. Christchurch City Council CEO Tony Marryatt has clearly made no effort to get his staff to get on with the job. '

But has Sideshow publicly chastised Marryatt for not doing his job?  That's about as likely as him  appearing in the eastern suburbs anytime soon.  That would just sour the atmosphere at Bob and Tony's  private meetings  where they tell each other how wonderful they are.

It will come  as no surprise that slimy Sideshow Bob , who has just returned from an extended holiday in South Korea and Japan, did not defend Johanson.  In fact  he chose to slyly  attack  Johanson by suggesting that the council wasn't making progress on certain issues  because 'two or three people'   had strained the relationship between the councillors and staff.

This is way that  Sideshow operates  -  he tries to smear  the reputations of his  council opponents in the media and then pretends its none of his doing. 

And, just for good measure, the laziest councillor in the world decided he'd like to throw some of the proverbial  as well.

Said Barry  Corbett:  'Some councillors when they wake up in the morning, all they can think about is how they can stick it to the council, how they can embarrass  Bob, and how they can make sure National doesn't get elected next year.'

How does Corbett know this?   Has he been  hiding under Yani Johanson's bed,  eavesdropping on his private conversations? Or is he just making it up as he goes along?

Barry Corbett, readers may recall, is the councillor who has a flexible view of murder.

In 2008 Pihema Cameron, a 15 year old schoolboy, was stabbed to death after ‘tagging’ an Auckland suburban fence. Bruce Emery, described as a ’50 year old businessman’, was subsequently arrested, charged and eventually  convicted of Cameron’s murder.

On January 29 2008   Barry Corbett told a council meeting that ‘If I was on the jury, I’d let him get away with it, but that’s just me.’

The good news is that Corbett isn't standing for re-election, bringing to an  end  a poor and  undistinguished council career. 

Last year The Press wrote of 'Bazza':

A councillor since 1998, Corbett brings life to the adage that experience does not always mean quality. He contributes little of note during discussions, other than thanking council staff for their efforts. Some have remarked, not unfairly, that few would notice if he was not there.