Sideswipe: February 25: Dining out on Trump
24 Feb, 2021 04:00 PM
3 minutes to read Donald Trump only visited one DC restaurant in his four-year term. And it was the steakhouse in his own hotel . when the star appeared, you had to stick to the script. A Standard Operating Procedure document, recently obtained by Washingtonian, outlined step by step exactly what to do and what to say anytime Trump dined at BLT Prime, the hotel restaurant. As soon as Trump was seated, the server had to discreetly present a mini bottle of Purell hand sanitiser. (This applied long before Covid, mind you.) Next, cue dialogue: Good (time of day) Mr President. Would you like your Diet Coke with or without ice? the server was instructed to recite. A polished tray with chilled bottles and highball glasses was already prepared for either response. Directions for pouring the soda were detailed in a process no fewer than seven steps long and illustrated with four photo exhibits. The b
Tauranga City Council commissioners adopt interim committee structure
22 Feb, 2021 09:18 PM
2 minutes to read
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley at yesterday s first meeting. Photo / George Novak
Bay of Plenty Times
Tauranga City Council s commissioners have adopted an interim committee structure which will see most of the council s standing committees disbanded in the short term.
Yesterday s council meeting was the first involving the commission appointed by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta earlier this month.
A statement from Tauranga City Council today said, as a result of yesterday s governance decisions, the Finance, Audit and Risk; Policy; Projects, Services and Operations; Urban Form and Transport Development; Regulatory; and Chief Executive s Performance committees have all been discharged and the commission will consider whether to establish further standing committees at a later date.
The Planning Authority (PA) has “completely ignored” a request for a meeting made by all the mayors of Gozo over concerns that the island is being r