I was fortunate enough to spend the day with Mayor Tory Whanau last Friday at a meeting of LGNZ’s National Council in Wellington. This was the day after her revelation that she is dealing with a drinking problem following another report of her being out and about under the influence in Wellington.

I really felt for her that day and she got a huge amount of aroha and support from the other mayors around her. 

I like and respect Tory and I have nothing but good wishes for her as she finds her way forward. 

That, however, cannot be said for some, if not many in the community. It was disappointing, but not surprising to see the knives being drawn then applied to her back by several of her councillors in the media. 

What an absolutely low-life thing to do. We have all got feet of clay, but some people seem to forget that when they rush in to condemn others. 

The question needs to be asked as to whether they did it for political advantage or simply because they are inadequate human beings who cannot respond with care to others when they fail. Either way, the Dave Chappelle quote that adorns my wall springs to mind “When a hero stumbles, the cowards rejoice. Nothing feels better to a coward than to see a brave guy fall”.

But, it wasn’t just her political rivals who jumped on to the bandwagon. 

Did you hear the salacious gossip about what was supposedly caught on video on this night out? I won’t repeat it, because it is simply not true, but like so many other pack of lies that have circulated in the last few years, people seem eager to lap it up and spread it on without question. 

Clark Gayford being on Home Detention for drug dealing springs to mind. How many people heard and spread that? Generally it was told by someone who had heard it from someone else who had a brother-in-law who worked high up in the police force or featured some other desperate grab at credibility. 

Or, the one where the same poor bloke got the nanny pregnant? He must have been a busy lad though, because that one went around for three years or so, lots of little Clarkes running around the place. Or not. Because it was all nasty, small-minded gossip.

Last week the Spinoff tried really hard to find someone who had actually seen the video that Tory was meant to feature in and they couldn’t. Plenty of people said they had talked to someone who had, some even went on the record saying this in the media, but no one, not one person, could be found who had actually seen it. Because it doesn’t exist.

Since the World Cup Final, both the referee and one of the TMO’s have quit the game, citing the abuse they have suffered as significant reasons for them pulling the pin. 

It is also increasingly hard to get people to stand for local councils and many days, I can understand why. 

The question has to be asked though; at what point will we reach a tipping point where there are no referees, no mayors and no councillors because the abuse that comes with these jobs, such as what Tory experienced last week, makes it just too tough. 

What happens then? It’s not really worth thinking about, is it?