Just picked up this media release from Russel Norman:
The people of Mt Albert deserve a political leader who is prepared to publicly debate the electorate’s issues, so Melissa Lee should engage at tonight’s community meeting on SuperCity proposals, Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman said today.
“I call on Melissa Lee to front up and debate the issues. Preparing a statement for someone else to read out just isn’t going to cut it. The people of Mt Albert need a representative who is willing to engage in public debate.
“The fact that Melissa isn’t debating at Owairaka District School tonight suggests that National is not serious about contesting the Mt Albert by-election.”
I guess that after the debacle over the SH16 motorway stopping South Auckland’s criminals from burgling in Mount Albert, Melissa’s minders must be worried that “in the heat of the moment” she might reveal Christine Rankin as her preferred nominee to chair the Auckland Transition Authority.
Still, a very poor look that Melissa won’t front.
UPDATE: It just gets worse and worse for poor Melissa:
Starts off almost okay for her, but the second half is where it all totally falls apart. It’s just gotta be a race between Russel Norman & David Shearer now. Not even the most biased Nat supported could surely vote for someone this incompetent.
I think her best quote was “I’m all over the place”, which was probably the one thing she said in her interview we can rely on.
g.blog 
That would be the meeting organised by Chris Dempsey, chairman of the Eden Albert community board (who happens to live in Parnell) and City Vision luminary, at which the Labour and Green candidates were invited last week but never communicated to Lee.
Strangely, Lee’s response turning down the meeting appeared in Russel Norman’s press release three hours later.
What a jack-up.
Um, three hours later than what, Tim?
Are you suggesting the Melissa Lee was invited to this debate substantially later than other candidates? If so, post some evidence to support that assertion.
In any case, it seems she knew enough about the debate to prepare a statement to read out, but not to participate in the debate itself.
I suspect that is on the advice of Paula Bennett or Jonathan Coleman, who fear she will stuff up again if thrust into an actual debate.
Mind you, Paula has stuffed up already re the appointment of Christine Rankin to the Families Commission.
If you read this Paula, Christine may be your friend, but it is better to take objective advice on matters such as this. Her record in public office was far from good.
So it is fine, Paula, to rely on her for personal support if she is a friend, but could be career-destroying (as it was for her) if you rely on her political judgment.
toad,
You really have your gander up about these women politicians.
Not going to burst a valve soon are you?
Relax what will be will be.
And if Melissa Lee is soooooo bad, the electorate will decide and not vote for her.
Lets see democracy at work.
And should she turn up at every meeting?
My report from the last meeting was that she was shouted down at every oppertunity.
Boorish behaviour begets the non show response it deserves.
She may well be at another meeting organised by more “friendly” forces.
And as champions of giving people a second or fourth or sixth chance (like a certain convicted pizza delivery worker killer), should the Greens not give Rankin the same chance?
Especially seeing the NZ Herald published eroneous informatin regarding Rankin dancing with her to be husband at the National party celebations.
Toad,
Thank you for your response. Lee put out a press release this afternoon noting the timeline. It goes like this:
Last week: Chris Dempsey, City Vision chairman of eden/albert community board (resident in Parnell) invite Russel Norman and David Shearer to speak. Lee doesn’t get an invite.
Monday afternoon: Media ask Lee if she is attending. Lee answers that she hasn’t been invited.
Tuesday morning: Lee calls Dempsey to say she didn’t receive an invite, but she can’t attend anyway because she’s double-booked. Says she’s willing to provide a statement.
Tuesday 12pm: Russel Norman issues press release including Lee’s response.
Jack up? Yes, Toad, I think so.
Gerrit, I need to check the facts. Tim Ellis has provided a version and timeline of events that I don’t know can be verified. Chris Dempsey, the candidates, and their campaign managers are right now involved in the debate (or in Melissa Lee’s case, the yet unannounced conflicting appointment)so I can’t phone them right now and ask their recollection of events.
Anyway, all will out tomorrow.
Oh, and Gerrit, I haven’t got my gander up about certain politicians because they are women – Sue Bradford, Metiria Turei, and Catherine Delahunty are among my closest friends, irrespective of political positions.
In any case, my criticism of Rankin was in the context of her past life as as a public servant, rather than a politician. And my criticism of Lee was related to her competence (or lack thereof), rather than her gender.
Tim Ellis, watch the video I’ve now updated into the post above. It reveals that Melissa Lee knew about the Auckland governance debate, by her own words, at latest yesterday – not 3 hours before Russel Norman’s media release today, as you allege.
I suspect that she, or at least her minders, probably knew about it long before that. Thay may have chosen not to tell her until last night – to avoid further embarrasment.
Someone will be keeping tabs on just where Melissa Lee was during said debate, no doubt? It will be interesting to compare the two events tomorrow.
Nothing in this mornings news stories about the meeting. Maybe Lee was right not to attend a non event.
But then it is still only 5 oclock in the morning.
Lets see what develops.
Toad, your comment
“Sue Bradford, Metiria Turei, and Catherine Delahunty are among my closest friends, irrespective of political positions.”
I suspect they are you closets female friends due to their political position, not irrespective of it.
I should have said you have your dander up for “right wing” female politicians.
Where did Melissa Lee go last night?
Gerrit said: Nothing in this mornings news stories about the meeting. Maybe Lee was right not to attend a non event.
Gerrit, not sure what your news sources were, but it was on 3News (both 6pm and Nightline), TVZNZ’s Breakfast, and in the NZ Herald.
greenfly said: Where did Melissa Lee go last night?
Wherever it was, it didn’t seem to be important enough for her to tweet about.
She did appear this morning though, as her tweet says, at the run-down Mount Albert train station. Unfortunately, I don’t think any media asked her about Stephen Joyce’s slashing public transport funding to build “roads of national significance” or when Mount Albert will get a decent train station.
toad,
The report of what happened and what was said at the meeting. Nothing, nado, zip, zero.
All those reports you alude to are prior to the meeting.
Maybe without Lee there it is of no interest for the rest of the media about what is said by the other contestants?
And gee toad,
Lee gets interviewed at a railway station but Russel is interviewed where?
And reported where?
I was at the Mt Albert train station this morning Gerrit. Lee, Norman, Shearer and Boscawen were all there, but I didn’t see any of them being interviewed there (at least by television).
The interview Lee refers to in her tweet must have been later and elsewhere.
Surely the Greens through this and frog blog should have had a summary of what Russel Norman said at the meeting last night.
Again very bad marketing.
Just relying on the MSM to get your message across is foolhardy.
No press releases?
No shouting from the rooftops on what was said at the meeting?
No wonder Lee is the only name mentioned in regards the Mt Albert by election.
And a follow up,
Again the news yesterday was all about Lee and the visit of the contestants to Auckland University.
Headline was the racist angle being played by the students, her apology, plus snippets from her speech.
We did see a brief glimse of the Russel muscle banner but no mention of what he said. No visual at all of Russel (or any other contestant).
Wonder how long it will be when all the Lee negative commentary turns voters into sympathetic Lee voters.
Will they be asking, is she getting a fair deal?
Yeah, I’d like to see the media focusing more on the issues rather than Lee. The voters in Mount Albert should be hearing and seeing what the candidates have to say on the issues – the Waterview motorway, Auckland governance, which party has the best economic policies to address the recession etc.
Instead, day after day, all we seem to see reported is the most recent faux pas by Melissa Lee.
As for the sympathy vote going to Lee, I hardly think that likely. People have sympathy for politicians if they feel they are being unfairly targeted by the media. Winston Peters used to play very well on that (but came unstuck in the end when the NZFirst donations saga was shown to have substance).
But Lee’s dug her own holes, and while that may create a perception of sympathy for her in that she’s been thrown in above her depth, I can’t see that translating into votes for her. Her selection was poor judgment by the National Party heirarchy, so her antics don’t relect well on them either.
So why are the greens not pushing Russel’s message on public access sites such as here and frogblog?
Am sure the electorate must be getting stuff from the Greens in their mailboxes and by public meetings.
But the rest are just not getting anything.
Any polls out on the by election?
Should Russel not have come out with the Greens concern for the supercity? Sue Kedgley is front page news, should have been Russel from a marketing (profile / brand building) perspective.
Would get a lot of support from the electorate as very few people seem to like the idea.