Very last chance to vote

THE time has now passed for popping your council ballot papers into the post, but there is still a chance to have your say by dropping your papers into the ballot box at the Derwent Valley Council Chambers in Circle St, New Norfolk by 10am today (Tuesday).

At the time of writing, just over 52% of eligible voters have returned their voting slips by post. This puts the Derwent Valley in 17th place out of the 29 councils and just ahead of the state average of 49.85% participation in the election.

Counting of the votes will start later today and early results should be available mid-evening. Results will be available online at www.tec.tas.gov.au

Fourth and final campaign advertisement

Click image to enlarge

IT'S a simple message this week: please vote.

As of today's mail, 3331 votes in our council election have been received by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission. This is a participation rate of 46.61% which means about half of those eligible to vote in our election have not yet done so - and I'm one of them.

As I understand it, the return rate does not include those votes which have been lodged at the Derwent Valley Council Chambers, so the tally is probably somewhat higher than suggested. We are slightly ahead of the state average, which is running at 44.29%.

Today's statewide voting tally.
Click image to enlarge.

In the Derwent Valley we all have a lot to say about our council. Council elections provide the best opportunity for you to express your opinion and as the polling period draws to a close I urge you to have your say in the most powerful way. Please vote.

Voting in council elections is not compulsory but it is easy. Your ballot pack contains your voting slips, a booklet with information about each candidate and an envelope to return your vote. If you have misplaced your booklet, you can read the candidate statements here. If you have not received your ballot pack, please contact the Tasmanian Electoral Commission on 1800 801 701 or call at the council chambers in New Norfolk on Monday.

Voting closes at 10am on Tuesday, October 28. If you miss the post on Monday, there is a ballot box at the Derwent Valley Council Chambers. I'll be posting my vote this weekend and I hope about 3000 fellow residents of the Derwent Valley municipality will be doing so as well.

Next council meeting

A REMINDER that the final monthly meeting of the Derwent Valley Council in its current form will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at 6.30pm. The public is invited to attend the meeting.  Please join us - and if you would like any assistance or information about the meeting, please do get in touch.The meeting agenda is available online.

Third campaign advertisement

This advertisement appears in this week's issue of the Derwent Valley Gazette.
Click image to enlarge.

Second campaign ad

Click image to enlarge.

MY second campaign advertisement appears in this week's Derwent Valley Gazette and deals with two issues very close to my heart. These are my independence and my belief that a properly restored and developed Willow Court historic site will rival Port Arthur and bring visitors in droves. I also had a little bit to say about council expediture too.

There has been considerable discussion about the increasing role of party politics in local government, in particular since the State Government changed the law around eligibility for election as mayor a few months ago. I don't believe there is any place for party politics in councils. If you want an independent councillor you should ask how "independent" your preferred candidates are. I have no party and no backers. I authorise my own campaign statements and have accepted no donations. I have not asked for or accepted any offers to display signs or posters and took some convincing to allow a very determined friend to letterbox some of my surplus leaflets to areas outside the main distribution area. You can read more about candidate disclosure here.

Council expenditure remains a real concern to me. I am sure we can do better, but it requires a majority of councillors to be of a like mind in this regard. We have tinkered around the edges and saved a few dollars by ceasing the catering at councillor workshops but we have not been able to direct sufficient funding to the reconstruction of our roads in particular. I'm not sure we can achieve the improvements we would all like to see if we eliminate increases in the rates and reduce some of the charges as proposed by some candidates. Hypothetically speaking, if you have a 0% rate increase when inflation is running at 2.5% per cent, the budget is immediately at a disadvantage. That said, rate rises aren't the only way to increase the council's revenue, so I'll be keen to hear what any new councillors have to say on this.

Which brings me to Willow Court. The council's complete mishandling of this historic site was my main reason for seeking election in 2009. I won't go over old ground here, but the new council didn't exactly get off to a great start on this either. Then, in 2011-12 I put a new plan for Willow Court to the council and the outcome is that the first stage of the redevelopment is nearly complete. One wing of the Barracks and most of Bronte House has been restored and will soon be opened to visitors. This is largely due to the efforts of the Willow Court Conservation Committee appointed by council in 2012. Next month will see some preliminary work done in advance of an archaeological investigation that will start in Willow Court early next year and has the potential to go on for several years. This will include the colonial tunnel or sewer that connected Willow Court to the River Derwent via Burnett St and I'm really excited about this. I think the word "passion" is over-used these days, but there's no doubting that Willow Court is something I am passionate about and the job is far from finished.

keepdamohonest@gmail.com

Please note: Following the issuing of the notice of election, readers' comments relating to the election must include the given name, surname and locality of the writer. Anonymous comments cannot be published. Comments or questions not intended for publication can be emailed to me directly.   

More council reforms proposed

COUNCILLORS elected in this month's Local Government elections will have to deal with two of the big issues facing the state following announcements by Local Goverment and Planning Minister Peter Gutwein today.

Municipal amalgamations are back on the agenda, with Mr Gutwein saying he will talk to Tasmania's mayors about this after the council elections. While the minister has not yet shared his thoughts with councils, I heard his remarks on ABC Radio this afternoon. I support a reduction in council numbers and have long held the opinion that there should be a single council along the length of the Lyell Highway from Granton to Derwent Bridge.

Mr Gutwein also announced that the State Government would introduce new laws to create a single, statewide set of planning rules.  He said these Bills would go before Parliament in the first half of next year. Under the expert guidance of our council planner, councillors have done a lot of work on a new Derwent Valley Council Planning Scheme over the last two years to replace the 20-year-old New Norfolk Planning Scheme and to my knowledge this is awaiting ministerial approval to progress from "draft" to "interim".

Please note: Following the issuing of the notice of election, readers' comments relating to the election must include the given name, surname and locality of the writer. Anonymous comments cannot be published. Comments or questions not intended for publication can be emailed to me directly.  

End of an era

Next Council Meeting - Wednesday, October 22, 2014 The final monthly meeting of the Derwent Valley Council in its current form will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at 6.30pm. The public is invited to attend the meeting.  Please join us - and if you would like any assistance or information about the meeting, please do get in touch. The meeting agenda will be available online from the afternoon of Thursday, October 16.

All the candidates and more

THE Tasmanian Electoral Commission has published a booklet containing statements from each of the candidates contesting this month's council election. A printed copy of the booklet will be sent to each voter in their ballot pack next week, but an electronic version is available for downloading from the TEC website now.

The booklet also contains the following information:

This year, for the first time, the entire Derwent Valley Council is being elected for a four-year term. The mayor, deputy mayor and councillors you elect will all serve until 2018.

Successful candidates for mayor and deputy mayor must be also elected as councillors to be able to accept the office of mayor or deputy mayor.
There are three elections being held for the Derwent Valley Council:
• Eight Councillors – 19 candidates
• Mayor – five candidates
• Deputy Mayor – seven candidates

As well as the printed booklet of candidate statements, your postal ballot pack contains:
• Two sheets of ballot papers (one for councillor positions, the other for mayor and deputy mayor positions)
• A ballot paper envelope
• A reply paid envelope

www.tec.tas.gov.au

First campaign ad

Click image to enlarge

THANKS to everyone for their kind remarks about my first campaign advertisement in the Derwent Valley Gazette this week. As with my first campaign in 2009, I won't be littering the landscape with election signs.

I really appreciate the support of those who have offered to place a sign in their yard, but I will be sticking with press advertising, a leaflet and this blog.

Communication was one of the two big issues behind my decision to stand for council five years ago. The flow of information between council and the community could still be better, but a great improvement has made during the last few years. It is easier to obtain the documents for each council meeting than it was before; the public is asked for its input into council decisions more often than before; and a council newsletter is issued three or four times a year.

More can be done to improve council communications and you would be surprised to know how often councillors are left out of the loop too. Most councillors were given no information about the stage of the Tour of Tasmania being held between Strathgordon and New Norfolk earlier this week, despite our council being a major sponsor.

Communication will remain one of my key issues. I commit myself to continue the upkeep of this blog and my advertising in the Gazette, and I will seek to improve the distribution of the council newsletter. Communication is a two-way street, so let's hear from you too.

keepdamohonest@gmail.com


Please note: Following the issuing of the notice of election, readers' comments relating to the election must include the given name, surname and locality of the writer. Anonymous comments cannot be published. Comments or questions not intended for publication can be emailed to me directly.