Time for Mr Miccio to seize the moment

Nelson Mail editorial, October 11, 20102
Aldo Miccio has won a predictable, convincing and, on balance, deserving victory to become Nelson's new mayor. In a weekend of election results from Nelson and Tasman which were largely unsurprising and unexciting, Mr Miccio's success is the stand-out.
He is youthful - perhaps Nelson's youngest-ever mayor - and has some good ideas. He campaigned shrewdly, has wasted barely a single opportunity to boost his name recognition, and has demonstrated energy, enthusiasm and determination which has won him a legion of admirers. He has also shown a capacity for embracing divisive issues and for courting criticism. Such a willingness could be turned to a strength but it is also an area where his mayoralty will be vulnerable.
Perhaps the weekend's biggest loser was the incumbent mayor, Kerry Marshall, who suffered a drubbing. Mr Marshall might profess some relief that he can step down, but it is a sorry end to a long and noteworthy career in local government. If the scale of his defeat was surprising, the fact of it was not. His heart did not seem to be in the campaign. Various factors could have hobbled him, including that he might have been singled out by those wanting to punish the last council's under-performance - he was the only sitting city council member seeking re- election who failed to be returned.
Rachel Reese's performance in the Nelson mayoralty contest was also in line with the campaign. She struggled to match Mr Miccio's big-spending, attention-grabbing and rather slicker, marketing- influenced approach. She should, however, take satisfaction from her massive share of the vote as a councillor - a role which there can be no dispute about her capabilities for.
That aside, it was a mostly unremarkable poll. Both councils remain stacked with established names. There is the usual sprinkling of newcomers, including those who seem to have won through on a mixture of name recognition and good fortune.
In Tasman, there is nothing to indicate anything but a business-as-usual approach. The most significant result there was in the Richmond ward, which has two newcomers, neither of whom could be expected to be boat-rockers.
Tasman electors showed no interest in returning the old, old guard - the likes of former mayor John Hurley, tossed out in 2007 and not wanted back as a councillor this time. With all due respect to Mr Hurley and others of his ilk, that is reassuring. Fresh blood is preferable to the recycled variety. So the return of three warhorses in Nelson - including former mayor Paul Matheson and veteran Green activist Mike Ward - should be regarded cautiously. The challenge for them will be to adapt to the new order and to set their expectations accordingly.
Mr Miccio, meanwhile, has his plate full. Just as the arrival of Hands Up three years ago raised expectations of a new dawn in the city, so he comes to office carrying high hopes - and an urgent need to get the council on to a more efficient, productive track. Some large and deeply divisive issues await. He could well be the man for the moment. But such moments have a tendency of passing quickly. He deserves good wishes as he attempts to seize it.