Kathryn Bell
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KATHRYN Bell is a candidate for mayor, and also councillor. Taree has been her home for 17 years. She has been a Justice of the Peace since 1994 and has strived throughout life to continually learn. She has a background in small business and lived on a farm for 12 years.
“I am organised and love my community. My husband and three children support and keep me grounded,” she says.
“The residents trusted me with their vote at the last election. With my apprenticeship as councillor served, I have gained confidence in the role and now nominate for councillor and mayor.
“It was a difficult term, a steep learning curve... sometimes a sheer cliff face... and I believe I have matured in the role. I’m old enough to know what I’m good at and when to ask for help. I’m young enough to possess vitality and enthusiasm.”
Kathryn wants to see her community re-connect and if elected will take council meetings back to outlying communities and avail all councillors of the opportunity of being more accessible and involved.
“I would encourage debate, discussion and opinion being heard. This to me is democratic; the way to learn and progress.
“I am very disappointed that in this term the community was taken out of council. I was one vote in nine; the record shows that I was true to the residents in decisions and will strive to take ‘C’ back to community.
“If elected as mayor, I will ensure council returns to the community with more dialogue and that all councillors and staff have two-way communications.
“I understand that the community is upset with its council, because of the fact that information is not readily forthcoming.
“My message to the community is that it’s time for a new focus or ‘back to the future’ new direction. “Council’s current civic and executive leadership has lost its way and lost sight of the things that are important to the wider community. Council’s connection to the community has been lost.
“My number 1 priority will be to reconnect.”
Under her civic leadership, the community would see:
* A new focus on core activities such as smarter ways to seek funding for infrastructure projects.
* Encouragement of the general manager to make staff accessible to the community with a solutions based, positive, “can do” attitude.
* A better, more productive relationship with our State and federal members, MPs, ministers and government departments through creation of personal contact.
* Creation of productive partnerships with business.
* Strategic planning for our future.
* Improved presentation of our towns.
* A process where tenders are awarded to locals within 10 per cent of quote/tender price.
“In this term we have been shackled by political correctness and over zealous governance priorities to the detriment of creating productive partnerships with business and development,” she says.
“We have become too focused on perception and ‘can’t do’. We must find and engage people with a ‘can do’ attitude who find a way of doing the business.
“If a developer is going to invest in our area, they expect to be able to have access and conversations with the decision makers, not to become so weighed down by procedural hang-ups and red tape that they take their business elsewhere.”
As the civic leader, she promises to:
* Evoke change so that the council serves the residents.
* Take council back to the community, engage and re-engage the public through local meetings, think tanks.
* Facilitate development not thwart it, back involved, strategic planning.
* Make council relevant to community; to give community ownership of decisions because of genuine input.
* Develop the approval process to be ready and in place for the next boom.
“I am passionate about the major issues facing the community and see a real need to create an inclusive council where people do not feel that consultation is just tokenism, with pre-determined outcomes,” she says.
“I am motivated and inspired by a Winston Churchill kind of optimism when he said: ‘The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’
“I see that this last council had debate stifled and as evidence of this, quote Cr Eddie Loftus in his interview with the Manning River Times where he observes, ‘...great stoushes we used to have. But it was always good, healthy debate’ and ‘... councillors aren’t close to council’s senior officers, describing it as the big divide.’ I concur with the statement that ‘I feel there is something missing.’
“My experience during this last term of council is of being side-lined, marginalised and not informed. That has effectively been the issue for the community also.
“I am on record (GTCC minutes meeting of December 8 2010 - minute 374) as being the only councillor among those nominating again this term, to have voted against renewal of the general manager’s contract of employment.
“As the Bell A Team we offer electors the perfect combination of experience, strong leadership and a balanced, fresh approach.”
Brenden Summerfield
A MEMBER of Kathryn Bell’s team, Brenden Summerfield, welcomes the opportunity for the public to learn more about him and to understand why he is standing as a candidate for councillor.
“My family moved here 25 years ago and I spent my teenage years on a cattle farm which gives me an understanding of rural needs and priorities.
“My family chose the Manning after many holidays to the area and enjoying the lifestyle, environment and people in the area,” Brenden says.
“I too have chosen to settle here, living in Marlee, which has given me valuable insight into our rural roads and bridges experiences.”
Brenden’s wife, Zoe was born and bred in Taree and attended Taree West Public and Taree High School, and the couple’s two children now attend Wingham schools.
Brenden, who is 38, completed his HSC at Wingham High and for the past 22 years has worked in the building industry in Wingham and Taree.
“I have a good understanding of council procedures from my years of work in the building industry, currently as manager at Timberfast, Taree and owner-operator of a local drafting business,” he says.
Brenden has also been heavily involved in many sporting arenas including tennis, golf and rugby league.
“I have been fortunate to play, captain and coach league at all levels including coaching school sides and juniors, playing North Coast representative football and for Group 3.”
He was president of Wingham Tigers for five years and honoured recently with life membership of the Wingham District Rugby League Football Club Inc.
“I have had great success over the past 10 years helping the community organise functions, fundraising for community groups and activities with excellent support from locals, and I intend to continue these projects.”
Among projects he has been involved in are the acquisition of lighting for Wingham Sporting Complex and being on the organising committee for the Centenary of League celebrations in Wingham’s Central Park.
“I am an energetic and enthusiastic member of the community and take this opportunity of nomination for the city council with both hands. I will strive to represent all Manning residents.
“I am a self-starter, motivated, a good sport and leader.
“I understand council is in a poor financial position but if elected I would work tirelessly to seek our fair share of taxes already collected by the State and federal governments.
“I listen to all sides of an argument and find solutions for the majority of people.
“I would work with and as part of a team and put my community first being a direct link between council and community.
“I ask that the community supports me and members of Team Bell so that we might work together into the future.”