Integrity. Experience. Commitment.
WHY I'M
A COUNCILLOR
I'm running for re-election as Deputy Mayor and Councillor because I believe in the opportunities this city can and should offer the next generation.
Devonport is one of the most livable cities in the state, but we can do more in terms of growing our CBD, building our events calendar, supporting our community groups and delivering more for less to ease the growth of council rates.
While I'm very growth centric, I have also advocated strongly for our unique coastal reserves to be excluded from development - as the city's population increases over the next few decades, these pockets of natural reserve so close to the city will become integral to our health and wellbeing, and unique to Devonport.
Having completed my first four years on council as Deputy Mayor, I have advocated hard for more density in our urban spaces so we preserve our productive agricultural land and tap into existing service infrastructure. I've also focused on long term planning issues such as transport corridors so as our population grows we avoid the congestion of our major cities.
I believe its really important to showcase our history, and any new developments moving forward must have a sense of place and add to the city’s story. The paranaple centre is a magnificent building, but it would look equally at home in Paramatta or Geelong – I would like future civic assets to showcase our community, whether that’s by using more local products such as timber or intertwining local history in the fitout.
The Living City Master Plan is a document we need to keep refining. The success of Living City can continue for generations to come, but we must keep new projects on the horizon. For example, how do we maximise increased visitation from the new Spirits? How do we ensure the city is attractive to critical workforce sectors? How do we get more parking into the CBD, and where's the next hotel site? Local government needs to take a proactive leadership role in finding out what the community wants to ensure there’s a long-term plan in place to deliver it. As the saying goes, If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail.
Aside from development, one of the most important things local government can do for the community is to support it at the grass roots: the sporting clubs, the community groups, the volunteers and the carers. We’ve always had great community spirit, and as the city grows we need to ensure this is always reflected in local government policy. Personally, my goal for next year is to bring families together under Council's Living Well strategy to help them navigate care for aging parents, while still working and raising their children. It can be a stressful time dealing with unfamiliar health, legal and social issues and Council can definitely play a role in highlighting the help that's available.
As Deputy Mayor I also see my role as providing support to my fellow councillors and the Mayor to ensure a very ambitious program of works and events is delivered seamlessly during the current local government term.