1. What led you to run for Mayor?
This will be the first time PS has had a popularly elected Mayor. I believe I have the leadership and communication skills combined with the management background to take Port Stephens forward. I have the time and the energy to do a good job and will do it without fear or favour.
2. This will be the first time the Mayor has been popularly elected in Port Stephens, why do you think the change was needed and how will it affect your chances?
There are potential plus and minuses with a popularly elected mayor. It is important our first mayor can show respect to all Councillors that they are free of the shackles for potential to have pecuniary interests associated with property ownership and development conflicts. Residents have voted in the last LG election to support the election of popularly elected Mayor, the decision is in the hand of the voters.
3. Will it be beneficial for council and Port Stephens to now have a four year term for council?
A four year term of Council is already standard term and I have now been on this council for a total of two four years terms.
4. You have spent time as a councillor, how will that experience help you if elected as Mayor?
It is important you understand policies of meeting procedure and the processes involved in correct process for dealing with development and general items which come before council. A good knowledge of the Acts which influences Council procedure such as the Local Government Act, Planning and Assessment also assists greatly. Any candidate who lacked background as Councillors would find it very difficult and extremely steep learning curve to operate as an effective mayor.
5. Port Stephens was the first to live stream council meetings, did you support that move and will it help the public make their vote now that the Mayor is now popularly elected?
I did support the web casting of meetings which currently only covers Council meetings and not Committee meetings. I believe it is great step forward in making Council meetings and Councillor Behaviour transparent and Councillors accountable to their constituents.
6. What would be your main priority if elected?
The ensure we started to communicate regularly through workshops, something sadly missing in the last term of Council with not one single formal workshop held on four years of this council. To treat all Councillors with equal respect and equal access to participate in all events something which again did not occur previously. To minimise the use of the casting vote, this option used all too frequently as part of a voting bloc in the first two years.
7. What is your biggest challenge in winning this election?
Allocating the resources required to man 27 booths, get thousands of leaflets out to ratepayers and get the message across to ratepayers on minimal budget as a self-funded retiree, relying on dozens of volunteers support. Competing with other candidates who can afford to throw unlimited financial resources at the campaign and pay for the manpower required to swamp the campaign.
8. Why should rate payers have faith in you?
My track record in the community says it all, I have been a Scout leader for over 30 years and awarded one of its highest honours, the silver emu award, the chair of our community centre committee the most successful facility in Port Stephens for over 25 years, successfully run my own business for 18 years. Active in the local Tidy Towns committee, a member of Hunter regional Botanic gardens and I can point to the achievement I have made on council including, completion of the Medowie strategy, an active member of a number of Council and associated committees: Chair of the Koala Plan of management Committee, a regular member of Council’s traffic committee. I am on record as having the best meeting attendance over past two terms of any Councillor. An active participant in kick starting the Health One facility in Raymond Terrace now supported by State and Federal funding.
9. How would you rate the performance of the current council and what would you change?
For the first two years under the leadership of Cr Mackenzie very poor, I was instrumental in having the DLG investigate Port Stephens council and this resulted in 36 recommendations for attention, 24 considered serious. The financial performance of the council is poor with excessive deficits, some extremely poor performing assets and legal costs exceeding equivalent sized Councils many times over. I would off load Samurai resort which has cost this Council $17 million over the past 8 years, insist that negotiation replaces vexatious litigation. That an independent panel be formed to assess any codes of conduct items before recommending investigation, that plans are prepared for longer term replacement and upgrade of community facilities notably children’s playgrounds community centres and sport amenities. That we carry out total review of our position with road maintenance and prepare a strategy for sustainable maintenance funding of longer term maintenance requiring a submission to the State infrastructure committee. That we change the methodology for drainage maintenance shifting to a sustainable environment model rather than the current slash and burn technique. That we complete community planning strategies adding infrastructure strategies as an integral part of the overall planning process. That we hold meetings on specific proposed development and rezoning applications involving all councillors not a selective few.
10. How do you rate your chances of winning the election?
Since I am running alone with no preferences between another candidates, this depends on the mood of the electorate. Having recently seen Council loose $500,000 in a case involving the Stockton Bight Track associated with Cr Mackenzie’s sand mining DA for lot 218 in case involving compulsory acquisition of land I hope the residents and ratepayers start to understand the need for change. An effective Mayor must be free of the association shackles that they are seeking more than just looking after the interest of the ratepayers. I rate my chances as 50:50.
is this bloke for real? Nowhere, in all the space he had, did he mention jobs.
But he did get an emu award.
Shows how in touch he is
A visit to Earl’s Facebook page will have you wondering who the real person is here. Check out the Electoral Roll. I wonder how many Community Awards Earl has received? Maybe Earl is the same person, dressed in a long wig who was handing out defamatory info in the carpark at the Medowie Meet the Candidate night! The info handed out was announced to be incorrect! Actually Earl..the mention of jobs sort of gives your real identity away.
Earl Grey,
You have slammed Cr Dingle on his FB page numerous times, yet your own FB page fails to describe any community involvement of your own but clearly states that you’re a ‘dole bludger’. Obviously you have zero interest in being employed so please, don’t whine about the fact jobs weren’t mentioned. We’re not stupid.
Thus, you need to keep your mouth shut, get your facts straight and think about what you write before you post. J Forwood above is not the only one who noticed the handing out of defamatory info in the carpark at the Medowie Meet the Candidate night.
Councillor Dingle is a leader. Something you are obviously not.
P.S. You WISH you had an Emu award.
Hear hear ‘Jay’!
I also saw the comments by Earl Grey on the facebook page…only problem with the comments is that they had NO substance whatsoever.. Cr Dingle may not be the god of nominations but who is?! This is his chance to outline what he will do…as he says, in the end it is up to the voters to determine who they want as Mayor.
I am a local, a rate payer and have lived in Medowie for 4 years, in this time I have only ever seen Dingle complain and appose progression and development and accuse other council members of wrong doing.
I want to see positive changes that benefit the whole community especially in terms of growth and job creation. Port Stephens is an amazing place with so much to offer yet it’s dying a slow death. Obviously from the above discussion Dingle isn’t the candidate to bring this much needed change to PS.
Medowie local: If you wanted great development , maybe, when you moved here 4 years ago you should have looked at Nelson Bay or Salamander. Maybe the long term residents of Medowie like the fact that it is a small peaceful village with the surrounding bush and the fact kangaroos hop down some of our streets. There is actually a Medowie Strategy which was finalised before your time, which residents had a say in about the future structured development of the town.
Oh Mr Forward your loyalty canot be denied – Having lived in Medowie for 26 years I consider myself a long term resident (just) – I even had involvement in the Medowie Strategy – I love this town I have raised my children here they have all had a great education at Wirreanda Public and have had plenty of high schools to choose from and all have done well. Medowie has provided them with a lifestyle that is the envy of city folk – But alas as time goes by I have seen the village grow and with that we need extra resources to keep the town vibrant. Young people need local employment while putting themselves through university – It might be OK for those Johnny come lately’s that retire to Medowie to feel the need to apply the brakes to anything and everything without any thought to the other agre groups in this fine town. I note with interest the Medoawie (Anti) Progress Association demographics would have the younest participant at an age of late 40’s
Take yourself back to the days when our resident Councillors of the time, Ken Muir, Bruce Mackenzie and Craig Bauman actually showed some balance in their thinking and Medowie growth was in a controlled Manner.
I am sorry Mr Dingle lost my respect when reported “Its On” Says Dingle inthe Port Stephens Examiner ( ) He states A “no holds barred” war aginst Cr MacKenzie and other councillors he dubbed the “Super Six” and goes on to say “We will demand defferals, lodge recission motions left right and centre and be difficult to get along with” – Now please is that the type of behaviour we expect from our elected representative – I back up Medowie Local – we have never heard apositive word from this man
Sorry I did not quote date for the article in the Port Stphens Examiner – May 20th 2010 – You can look it up
I don’t know how anyone could say this man is a leader. He opposes or objects to everything and has wasted our time using this forum to degrade another councillor. Grow up Mr Dingle! You have no foresight and no business acumen. I had little respect for you before the article in May 2010 in the examiner but after that I had none. Who does he think he is, saying that he would do whatever he could to disrupt council in anyway. Council isn’t kindergarten, it is a big business and needs to be run as one.
Well said Concerned Voter – we have thre choices for Mayor – now it is narrowed to 2 and I think experience and track record will be my bet.
is this the same J Forwood who writes to the examiner repeatedly spewing lies about any development in Medowie. He even put in writing an accusation (didnt even allege- it was stated as fact) that Asbestos was being dumped in Medowie. It was false with evidence to prove this- but who cares? A point was made by him, worry about the truth later. Credibility= zero
It’s interesting. There had been very little comment in this format, only Earl writing derogatory comments about Councillor Dingle and then when I write and query Earl’s real identity, because he isn’t on the electoral roll, boy! we are getting comments right, left and centre, but again, not from people who actually put their name to their comments. The firies and the company that removed the flattened buildings from the Ferodale site all wore protective clothing and masks because asbestos was found on the site, any residents in the area on those days would have seen this.
Mr Dingle was the ONLY Port Stephens Councillor who took the time to respond to my mail with a concern that I had.
I Emailed a letter to each sitting member at the time and I am still waiting for their response or even an acknowledgement .
We have one Councillor who says “I get the job done” another says “can do”
Well Mr Dingle actually can do and does the job without self praise and little fuss.
Mr Dingle is a very organised and on top of his position that he holds.
Congratulations Mr Dingle for your caring attitude and in touch with the community.
This gentleman is the person who we should consider as Mayor.
Geoff, we need to know where are your leanings and preferences? Greens, Labor or Liberal
I beleive Mr Dingles preferenced The Greens – Is that right Mr Dingle
I BACK COUNCILLOR DINGLE 100%.
The rest of these negative comments are all RUBBISH. You obviously haven’t got all the facts because not once have ANY of you mentioned all the wonderful things he has done for our area. SHAME ON YOU.
I don’t know how some of you live with yourselves, and to be perfectly frank I really feel sorry for you. You obviously aren’t thinking about the CONSEQUENCES of electing anyone else for Mayor – THE FUTURE of our beautiful towns and the future for our younger generations are in jeopardy. You only care about getting a certain someone across the line with most of you likely to have ZERO IDEA of what you really stand for. Again, we’re not stupid.
Perhaps you all had something to do with the rubbish allegations that were posted in people’s letterboxes? To think someone would stoop that low makes me highly concerned about who will become Mayor of Port Stephens.