“Parochialism has no role in the new MidCoast Council.” The cautionary comment of MidCoast Council administrator John Turner comes as the deadline for candidate nominations looms on the horizon.
The task of electing 11 councillors to MidCoast Council on September 9 is beginning to capture the attention of residents in the former three local government areas of Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester, and parochialism – the choice of an individual to hold a narrow view rather than consider an issue in a wider context – is emerging as a potential issue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Turner will step away from the job of managing MidCoast Council’s $210 million per annum business once councillors are elected and then they will be tasked with the responsibility of representing almost 200 unique localities that are home to 50,000 individuals and over 10,000 businesses.
They must manage the region’s 3300 kilometre road network, 542 bridges, 792 public buildings and 3000 hectares of parks and open space.
It’s unlike previous elections in any of the three former councils, with the elected council taking on a significantly larger responsibility in influencing decisions, representing a vast community and looking after an enormous asset base, says Steve Embry, MidCoast Council’s director of corporate and business systems.
MidCoast Council stretches from the east coast to the Barrington Tops and from Tea Gardens to Diamond Head in the north and Mr Turner says “it is vital that a new council is made up of people who look to the whole area as one area with many attributes and needs.”
He contends new councillors should “look at the council area on a strategic basis with a collaborative approach to making sure that areas of need are services on a needs basis not a parochial basis.
“There should be no room for parochialism in the new council” and cites section 8(a) of the Local Government Act as a guiding principle for councillors.
Councils should act fairly, ethically and without bias in the interests of the local community. It also says that councils should carry out functions in a way that provides the best possible value for residents and ratepayers.
- MidCoast Council administrator John Turner
Parochialism is surfacing in social media conversations on the Facebook group, Manning for MidCoast.
Former Gloucester councillor and deputy mayor Katheryn Smith is a member of the group, intends to stand for election and says “I am passionate for the whole region though I live in Gloucester.
“I may not live in the Manning but I believe in fairness across the whole district. If I'm not successful I ask for people of the Manning not to forget about Gloucester - we are smaller and have similar concerns.”
Former Greater Taree councillor Brad Christensen says “selecting the right people as councillors is always important but more so this election with our new council.
“We need quality individuals who want to represent our whole region and not have their own agenda.”
Bruce Marlin gave voice to his view that “… it is important we have the best representation we can get for this new council irrespective of where people live.”
“If they are good they will do their best for the Manning, Gloucester and Great Lakes. We need to make sure the Greater Taree area is well represented and not be Great Lakes centric.”
Michael Parsons cited experience as a councillor on Hawkesbury City Council in the Windsor area and shared, “… it is important to have a good cross section of the wider community represented for equity and sustained growth across the entire amalgamated boundaries.”
Click here to visit the Manning for MidCoast Facebook group. It is a forum for community discussion about candidates and issues of concern to residents in the MidCoast Council local government area. It is also running a public poll to try to identify potential candidates in the region. See story ‘Poll for the people by the people’ and ‘Stack backs bid to find council candidates’.
MidCoast Council will hold a series of candidate information sessions to assist people to understand what is expected of a councillor.
The sessions will be held in council chambers on:
