| What's in a Mayor? |
| Written by Jason Wilson | |||||
| Thursday, 06 March 2008 | |||||
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Bundaberg Candidate for Councillor, Patrick Denham, responds to some things the current Mayor has been saying.
I have been reading comments by Candidates for Mayor of our new regional council and believe the public need to understand a couple of things. • He/ She needs to be a team leader who can guide the new Council in this very important time in our history. • We need to know how the Mayoral Candidate proposes to do this, and what they hope the new Councillors want for the Region. • After reading the Media, you could come to believe that the new Mayor when elected will do a large amount of things, but has he or she got the support of the incoming councillors? • How many of the Mayoral Candidates have spoken to the 40 Candidates and asked what they believe should happen in the new Council? • I can tell you, I have been asked by a large numbers of rate payers which Candidate I would support as Mayor, and I have told them we need a good leader who wants to be part of a team. • At present we have at least one Candidate for Mayor who believes the Mayor will run everything. I ask all Candidates to do as I have done and start asking questions of the Mayoral Candidates and think how you would or could work with that person. • Over recent weeks I have met with three of the Mayoral Candidates and have a view on their leadership skills. I can tell you that two will be very good for the job and will work with their team for this Region. • Mayoral Candidates, just think what is going to happen after the 15th March if you have a team who have no belief in your abilities, and do not support your programs, It is time for you to stop making promises and start telling us: o How will you work as a Team Leader? o What skills do you bring to this job? o How do you intend to service the new Region as Mayor? o What additional committees do they believe are needed to help with the change to business in our Region? o How do they intend to communicate with all the rate payers of this new region, not just a self promotion in the paper once a month? That was ok under the smaller councils o I have heard of a Mayoral Candidate who wants to outsource as much Council work as possible and would sell off all the council assets. o I saw one man bands take over when the Ambulance Service was regionalised and after 5 years we had to start again. The rate payers of the New Region cannot afford to get it wrong. o If elected, I want a Mayor who will work with the Councillors, who will listen to their concerns and work for the benefit of the Region as a whole. There is a large amount of work to be done just to make four Councils into one, let’s forget all the rubbish about what I will promise. I can promise Division One the world to get elected, but I need the new regional team to support me to get what I want, if we all promise the world no one will be able to afford to live in the Region due to rate increases. I know most people hate local government elections, they mess up the weekend and all the TV, Radio and Newspaper ads are a pain. But stop and think, what you would like to see for the Bundaberg Regional Council, have a say and put the hard questions to those who you have to vote for. Do you want multi-story flats built in your street, do you want people who have properties near the beach to clear trees near the foreshore so they have nice ocean views, but damage the dunes? I can go on and on but my point is, every vote counts and just do not vote for Joe/Jill blow because he/she has been a nice person. Think of what they have to offer and if they do what is needed at this time important time for the Council.
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