Now there are four

Now that K Middleton has thrown his or her hat into the ring, we have 4 hopefuls vying for Invercargill's plum Mayoral role.
By way of introduction, K Middleton has written the following letter to the Southland Times editor and it appeared in today's edition.
It's important, I believe, to make your opening gambit a powerful one and I'm not sure K Middleton has quite done that but you can be the judge. 


I have been nominated to stand for the position of Mayor of Invercargill.
Interesting concept. Hard job.
Challenging, to say the least, for numerous reasons. Enjoyable.
I make this statement as over the past five or so years Tim Shadbolt has displayed the smile he has developed to hypnotise people.
It works, as I find myself swaying to the notion that he is a good dude.
However, I am considering this proposal for several reasons, one of which is that surely, surely, there are more than one or two talented people in Invercargill who are capable of promotion to this position.
The other reason I would like to mention is that it's all about having a go.
I have been on the dole here for three or four years. Location has a lot to do with it, but the growth and support required for people to progress just does not fit in with what a mayor can do.
I am comparing this position with other mayoral candidates around the world and find our current mayor very hard to beat, given his level of talent. But I also ask myself when I walk around the city, what has he done? I ask myself, when walking around the farms, the same thing.
Cleaning up city paths. Lighting. Road safety. The SIT is filthy and needs a wash. Employment and social issues.
Not sure if these fall within the scope of mayor here but I do know that Invercargill is full of super-talented people who don't have opportunities compared to larger cities and I would promote a greater interest in investment in locals with that in mind.
Thanks for your time.
K Middleton, Invercargill

 * I enjoyed this line the most:

The SIT is filthy and needs a wash