I know this is a bit far fetched, but I’ve come to the conclusion that when Einstein came up with his Theory of Relativity, he was thinking of being mayor in the last year of a council term.
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So much to do and with an impending election, I swear the minute hand is moving faster and faster every day.
Personally I have had a few things particularly occupying my time and thoughts recently over and above the generally busy life of a mayor. The Yarriambiack Shire has been having some interesting discussions about the strategy behind our planning scheme and its effectiveness in accommodating our smallest townships.
Planning decisions can be challenging at the best of times because of the long term impacts, but I’ve found strategic thinking about planning is even more daunting and complex. I’ve also been very focused on tidying up Lighting the Regions, which apart from achieving enormous energy savings by upgrading street lights, has also availed some exciting energy efficiency related legacy opportunities.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from my time on councils is that when opportunities come along you grab them with both hands. Along a similar opportunistic vein, we have also been working very hard as a council on our proposed Silo Art Trail.
The time leading up to a council election is certainly a very engaging one to be a councillor and in many ways a great example of the strengths and idealism that underpins our particular stream of democracy.
I’ve seen councillors working hard to balance ticking off their “to do” list with being conscious of leaving opportunities for the next council to put their own stamp on the way their shire operates.
Yes, I see some self promotion, but I see much more promotion of the upcoming election and encouragement of potential candidates. And despite some serious challenges I also see optimism about the refreshment that elections and new councillor perspectives bring.
There’s no shortage of recent reasons to be cynical about Australian politics, but I can honestly say that by and large local government, in this part of the world, is a decent, positive and empowering place to represent your community and try to achieve good things.
So once again I’ll give the October election a plug and suggest you consider putting up your hand.
