The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13. 1909. THE MAYORALTY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2425, 13 February 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13. 1909. THE MAYORALTY.

In about two months from date the residents of Gisborne will lie again called upon to select a. gentleman to represent them as Chief Citizen and head of the Borough Council, and as the-matter is of considerable importance to the town it is wise to give the utmost consideration in making a

choice. To begin with it may bo ta'ken for granted that a change will I)e made, for it is inconceivable that tho people will tolerate another year of Mr. W. D. Lysnar, however willing that individual may be to continue to serve his fellows. Of all tho municipal years that have gone none have been so absolutely barren in actual achievement as that which is now being concluded. At a time when the growing importance of the place demanded a corresponding increase in municipal activity we have merely had a series of long, profitless Council meetings with nothing tangible as a result. Indeed, it may bo truthfully said that civic matters have not only not progressed; they have actually gone back, and this is a deplorable fact to state of a town like Gisborne, which is yet in its infancy. For this reason it behoves the local ratepayers to look seriously into the.question of who is to be their next mayor. Their choice should be a man possessing suHicient imagination to look into the future, discover the great potentialities of the town and shape his aims accordingly. With his mind on Gisborne of twenty years hence his vision could never be distorted nor circumscribed, and ho could never take a moan and paltry view of municipal matters. At the same time he should have sufficient of caution and practieableness in liis methods to provent his becoming' a, mere idle dreamer. However broad his views lie must remember that the heeds of the moment niust bo paramount, and the pure idealist makes but a sorry show against the man of action. \Our next mayor will do well to aecept-as a bequest, as a portion of Ills equipment, the energy and determination of the present occupant of the office, but ho should add to it those qualities of tact and sweet reasonableness which Mr. Lysnar so sadly Jacks. Only in this ' way can he hope to obtain tho hearty co-operation of the Council which is so- . necessary to carry his schemes into practice. He need hot have expert knowledge tin tho details of municipal, work; if he is a man of ability and possesses business instincts he will take care to act only on the advice of thoroughly .competent officers. It is essential,, however, that he be a man who, by reason of his uprightness of character and other qualifications, can be looked up to with .respect by tho citizens as a whole, with genial, un-

affected. disposition, he should be ac oessible to his fellow citizens at any time on any public question, yet possessing withal sufficient personality to uphold the dignity of the town at any 'public gathering. The standard wo I have here outlined may seem so mo--1 what exacting, but it will not appear ! unduly so to those who iully appiej elate the part that may be played by the Mayor of a town upon its matert nil and moral welfare. And, after all | there are. we feel convinced, several : of our leading citizens who could j fairly lay claim to tile essentially human qualifications which wo have

emphasised. It is only a question of inducing the ■ right class of man to stand, and in this connection it may bo observed that the most eligible is usually disposed to remain in the background, and requires a good deal

of persuasion to emerge into the limelight of public sorvice, whilst the least desirable, by pertinacity and obtrusiveness, succeed in obtaining pos-

itions that they really occupy only as usurpers. Therefore, in looking around for a suitable candidate as

Mayor it is necessary to weigh the

merits, not only of those at present occupying public positions, but also those in private life, before making a selection. There is a vast amount of work awaiting a really qualified Mayor. There are the ever present road problem, sanitation and drainage, the locking of the rivors, the inner har-

bor and the outer one—for the Mayor sits ex-officio on the Harbor Board—and many other important issues to be taken up, and it is to be hoped that the residents of Gisborne will look ihto .the question seriously and take such action as will reflect credit upon themselves and assist to the prosperity of Gisborne.