A little bit of history…
With my partner Carol I have lived in the Shire for nine years.
I have been secretary of the Augusta Men's Shed for five years and have been closely associated with the art club, Chamber of commerce and River Festival Committee.
I am currently Council's representative on the Lower Blackwood LCDC committee and the South West Regional Road Group.
I was in local government for 32 years prior to retirement.
In former roles I was a board member of a superannuation fund, a credit union, a state development commission and an agricultural community co-operative.
I’m running in this year’s election…
I was elected to the council of the AMR Shire four years ago and have had some good outcomes for the community, and want to build on these in the future.
Among my achievements have been initiating the reduction in rates increases down to 3 per cent (it was 5 per cent when I was elected four years ago), returning tip passes to the agricultural community and increased funding for roads and environmental programs.
On issues currently affecting the Shire…
In the main it is the silent majority that has been ignored in favour of small pressure groups who want grandiose projects for their personal pleasure.
Additionally the agricultural community has been ignored and we can see from the condition of roads in that part of the Shire that this is the case.
The refuse disposal needs of the agricultural community have also been ignored and the rumours that transfer stations will close will not go away.
I will resist with all purpose the closure of transfer stations
The Shire will face future challenges…
In broad terms these are competent financial management, and our environment.
There has been a cavalier attitude by some councillors to the spending of other people's money and in this regard I urge the electors to closely scrutinise the candidates.
Our environment is under pressure as we all live in a very popular part of the state. We all enjoy our environment and others want to do so as well. We can't "lock the gate" so we need to balance future development with environmental management.
In this regard I am keen to explore "offsets" with like minded councillors whereby new development contributes back to the environment, not just finances to town projects.
Life as a councillor…
Having been in local government for 36 years (32 as an officer and CEO and four as a Councillor) I have the knowledge and experience to know that the role of Councillor needs to be considered as a job, not a past time.
I retired early and with my past experience have the time and capacity to dedicate my energies to interact with the community for their benefit.
My favourite thing about living in the Shire…
The people and the ambiance of our collective Shire.
We have an abundance of variety of people in our Shire with a vast range of backgrounds, knowledge and experiences and it has been a pleasure to work with these people.
In terms of the overall ambiance; where else would you find ocean, surf, rivers, whales, dolphins, trees, wines, eateries etc to the extent that we have here.
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