1. What led you to run for Mayor?
I was concerned about leadership in Council and how the Council has become disfunctional. I was not intending to stand but it was clear that there was no one of leadership substance who was going to offer the residents and alternate to re-electing the existing Mayor or other current Councillors
2.You’re a new face to council, what do you stand for and how important is it to have new candidates in the mix?
It is imperative that we have new Councillors on Council, otherwise it is unlikely that we will fix the habitual problems within Council. Current relationships and alliances must be challenged to behave differently and to focus on the needs of the residents. My vision for Singleton is simple, Singleton must once more be the pre-eminent town in the Upper Hunter. Singleton must be where people want to live, shop, raise their children and above all be a place where they are proud to live. Council has already commisioned a number of town planning studies for Singleton. Decisions must now be made, the community consulted and plans approved to re-vitalise Singleton.
Whilst it is unreasonable to expect that Singleton will match all the services of places like Maitland it’s residents should be able to source most of their day to day requirements in Singleton. Singleton has one of the largest mining sectors in the Hunter and by providing the above services we will maximise the expenditure of mining employees in Singleton. There has been much talk of drive in drive out employees. This will only be minimised by making Singleton a place where they want to live.
Singleton Council must ensure that the mining industry is treated in partnership with the Community not as a cash cow of the Community. Growth is the key to the improvement of Singleton and this must be one of the top priorities of Council. If elected I would use my contacts in Government to increase the number of State employees working in Singleton.
3. You are only running for Mayor, not as a councillor as well, why did you choose to do this?
The decision to run for Council was a difficulty one to make. I live at the southern end of the LGA and it takes an hour to drive into town. The role of Mayor requires a major commitment on my part and I had to be certain that I was ready and willing to take on the responsibility. I am 69 this year and despite being healthy I believe that I must accept that I will only have 4 years to serve the people of Singleton with certainty. Further service to the community will need to be reviewed prior to the next election. However if I fail to do what I say I will I would not deserve to be re-elected. If I am to deliver change and clean up the Council I can only do it from a position of leadership. If I were to join the Council as a Councillor with one of the existing Councillors as Mayor the chance of making any meaningful change in four years is minimal at the best. Also having been a leader all my life I am very aware of what and how change in habitual behaviour has to be made. That change cannot be effected from the ranks of Councillor.
4. This will be the first time the Mayor has been popularly elected in Singleton, why do you think the change was needed and how will it effect your chances?
If one looks at Councils that do not have popularly elected Mayors you often see four different Mayors in one term of Council. This means that due to the short time in office they can make little impact. Some people argue that that is a good thing as it lets Councils get rid of a bad Mayor. I suggest that by reviewing candidates as to suitability and then giving them 4 years to effect change is by far the best option .
5. Will it be beneficial to now have a four year term for council?
NSW changed the term of Council from 3 years to 4 years in 1983. For the Councils elected in 1999 and 2004 they extended to term by 6 months to move the Council elections away from the State elections. Hence the 4 year term is quite entrenched and does provide Councillors with a longer time to implement major changes.
6. What would be your main priority if elected?
Council must address the conduct and performance of Councillors in the chamber and in the way they co-operate to exercise the will of the people of Singleton. Excessive expenditure on non budgeted items needs to be curtailed and all efforts be made to redirect discretionary spending to those projects of benefit to the Shire. This will require higher levels of leadership than demonstrated in the current Council. Councillors have to find ways to facilitate interchange between Councillors irrrespective of differences in personality or ideology.
In order to support and attract investment the Council should act to implement the proposed revised development approval processes recommended by the State Government. Developers who submit a DA that complies with the Council’s published planning criteria should have reasonable expectations that their application will be dealt with without unneccessary delay or unreasonable requests for change. Businesses will only be attracted to Singleton if their establishment is supported and facilitated by Council. Singleton is in direct competetion with the other towns in the Upper Hunter and will only succeed by being smarter than those other towns.
To support these actions Council must work with the Government to maximise the return of mining royalties to the Singleton LGA to fund projects required to improve the Singleton LGA.
7. What is your biggest challenge in winning this election?
As a self funded retiree I do not have unlimited funds at my disposal. The new financial oversight and reporting laws has levelled the playing field somewhat but I rely on the exposure of the local press and organisations such as your to have my voice heard. I believe that if I can articulate what I offer then I have a chance of being chosen. As this is the first time that Councillors have not been ward based so this means existing Councillors will have to market themselves across the whole LGA. This is also my biggest challenge.
Finally part of this challenge is to push my message through the hype and confusion of the election process so that the ratepayers have the opportunity of making an informed decision as to who gets their vote..
8. Why should rate payers have faith in you?
With over 23 years in the RAAF as an Officer and over 25 years in business in senior executive roles, including CEO, I will bring both leadership and decision making skills to Council. I have extensive experience in the structural design of businesses as well as knowledge of many of the resonsibilities of Council such as road construction and maintenance, the operation of libraries, the construction industry, computing and occupation, health and safety.
I have operated as a trouble shooter in private enterprise and the RAAF and thrive in complex environments that are stressful. I have extensive experience in working with a broad spectrum of people cooperatively and in harmony despite having differences.
I believe in strong fiscal management and long term budgeting. Singleton’s budet is complex, relatively large and the Council needs as many Councillors as possible who have the knowledge to uderstand and work with budgets of that size and nature. I have that expertise.
I have been responsible for organisations with staffs exceeding 500 people and have developed and implemented HR systems.I am running as a Liberal endorsed candidate and have been interviewed, by party officials, had background checks and have had to prove that I am a suitable and appropriate candidate and that there are no hidden aspects of my life that may be detrimental to my performing the duties of Mayor. I expect that I am the only candidate whose background etc. has been reviewed in terms of acceptability for the position of Mayor.
9. How would you rate the performance of the current council and what would you change?
The current Council has been severely damaged by internal squabbles and the waste of ratepayers money. This is a direct result of the current leaders lacking the expertise to operate in a stressful and demanding environment with people of diverse backgrounds.
This is the main reason I decided to offer myself as a proven leader with strong business credential to bring back leadership to Council and to return the reputation of Council to that of a respected and trusted body.
10. How do you rate your chances of winning the election?
I do not have the faintest idea. This is a totally new ballgame. I believe that I am a genuine contender because of the following;
I have served my country for 23 years in the RAAF. I am a graduate of RAAF Academy Point Cook (RAAF forerunner of ADFA) and RAAF Advanced Staff College. These credential of leadership cannot be disputed.
I have held Senior Executive positions in Private Enterprise for a similar period of time.
I have not served on the current Council and hence am not tainted by their bad performance.
I am the only candidate endorsed by one of the major political parties and who has been subject to a rigorous pre-selection process.For these reasons I think that I am the only “safe” candidate for Mayor. The people of Singleton will make up their mind on my claim to be Mayor.
