All three Waikato District Council mayoral candidates have doubts about the feasibility of an Auckland-style super-city council if it were to be formed in the Waikato.
In answering a question from the floor at a candidates meeting in Te Kowhai on Monday night, Allan Sanson, Clint Baddeley and Frank McInally found common ground.
Mr Sanson said he was totally opposed to the concept.
"There is no benefit whatsoever to our ratepayers," he said. "The city (Hamilton) has a spiralling debt problem."
Frank McInally called it "a geographic impossibility" in the Waikato.
"It is the only thing I agree with Allan on. I strongly oppose it, it would be a nightmare."
Mr Baddeley had more of an open mind, and pointed out there were already shared services between councils, but he was not totally convinced. "The problem is the community has been left out of the super-city process," he said. "I take the view we need to work with our partners in the region."
But his starting point would be to delegate more powers to community boards. "Our communities have to feel like they have a voice that is listened to."
On the issue of Tainui's Waikato River settlement, aimed at restoring the well-being of the river, Mr McInally was the only candidate to express doubts.
Mr Sanson backed the process, saying everybody wanted a clean river.
Mr Baddeley said aspirations to restore the health of the river for future generations were at the forefront of Tainui thinking.
But Mr McInally was concerned too much of the river settlement money would be frittered away on administrative costs
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