Why me?

In fact...

Why would anyone want to be a councillor?

You may well ask—they’re not the most popular people on the planet! In my case, however, having attended almost every meeting of the current Council, and thus having a good understanding of the issues it faces, I believe that I can make a greater contribution to the wider Palerang community as a councillor than I can as a member of the public gallery.

There are two key areas in which I feel I can contribute immediately.

• Community Engagement

  Too often, the interests of affected communities are not being given due consideration when making decisions in Council. The Macs Reef Road waste facility and the Braidwood staffing issue are cases in point. As a member of a community that has been on the receiving end of poor Council decisions, I understand the importance of community engagement prior to making decisions that affect the communities in question. While most of the current Council made a commitment to community consultation during the campaign for the last election, there has not been the collective will to follow through on this commitment. The result is too many decisions where the initial direction is not in line with the aspirations of the broader community, leading to anxiety and mistrust.

• Transparent Governance

  In addition to the problem of insufficient community engagement, Council’s decision-making process is still not sufficiently open. The new Integrated Planning & Reporting requirements introduced by the NSW State Government are a critical component of the solution to this problem, but they must be implemented in the spirit of their intent, not just in the letter. As Council responds to its IPR responsibilities, I have the experience to help ensure that this response meets with the expectations of the broader community.