Some of you may have seen me interviewed on 6pm’s 1News last night.
The media was interested in my PR person’s view of the damage Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau, has done to her reputation and professional credibility.
For those not up with that particular play, the Whanau incident transpired over the weekend just gone; you can read all about it on Stuff.
She got pinged for, and later admitted to being, ‘tipsy’ in public after dinner and drinks on a Friday night, but only after initially not commenting on whether she was intoxicated.
Allegedly, she also emulated former National MP, Aaron Gilmore, in asking someone “do you know who I am?”, and not because she needed reminding.
When 1News rang me, I was torn. I felt a litle sorry for Whanau. She’d had a big day, successfully pushing thru’ an important initiative for the unfortunately-named Let’s Get Wellington Moving platform.
You can understand a desire to celebrate.
But as the mayor of New Zealand’s capital city it’s not a good look, especially as this is not the first time in her short stint in the top job she’s ended up on the front pages for arguably the wrong reasons.
These issues alone won’t define her mayorality, but they do play into that perceived sense of entitlement among our political class, as highlighted by what’s been happening recently in the Beehive.
It also reignites a feeling that, sometimes, our politicians can become removed from the real priorities.
And it highlights more ‘judgement lapses’, another phrase we hear a lot of when senior, public figures get caught, and then make excuses for doing something they shouldn’t.
Politicians of all persuasions, business leaders, sports personalities, community leaders, media stars – you name it - often commit, and will sometimes be forgiven for, a variety of real and perceived sins and transgressions.
But they shouldn’t dance on the head of a pin as some might say Kiri Allan and the Prime Minister have been doing in the last week, relying on the phrase no ‘formal allegations’, and they shouldn’t attempt to duck legitimate enquiries into eye-catching behaviour they exhibit in public, as Whanau did.
Media scrutiny in this day and age goes with the territory. Not being able to stand the heat once you are in the kitchen is not a good look.