Freewater misses nomination deadline

Cr Peter Freewater will not contest the September local government elections as his party, the Central Coast Alliance, failed to submit the nominations by deadline.

Cr Freewater was overseas in Scotland supporting his 8-year-old son in the world championships of highland dancing and had left the responsibility of nominating to a fellow member of the party.

"All of the nomination forms for Central Coast Alliance were completed and handed to one of the candidates on my ticket to submit while I was away," said Cr Freewater.

"This person decided to wait until half an hour before the close of nominations to submit the paperwork and then realised that they hadn't bought the form with all the candidates' signatures.

"Subsequently they went home to look for it and by the time they got back, nominations had closed.

"Therefore, not only did they not submit the group nomination, they didn't submit any of the candidates at all," he said.

The person handing in the forms came into the office of Peninsula News shortly after he missed the deadline and said he was "devastated" by missing the cut off by one minute.

He was too upset to make further comment.

Cr Freewater said he would be quitting local government as a result and was going back to being a marine scientist.

"I've worked hard for the last four years to clean up Gosford Council and have made a pretty good fist of it.

"I saved COSS from getting a recreation zoning that would allow sporting fixtures and hotels, I got the entrance dredged so boats wouldn't get trashed on the rocks and I helped secure Bambara.

"I showed the community that they can stand up to Gosford Council and expose them.

"I also played a major role in the retiring of the general manager and so now we can make a clean start with a new one.

"My concern is that many of the old councillors will still be there and I believe it would be better if the new Council were to grow out of fresh, fertile soil.

"So with this in mind, please don't vote Labor, Liberal, Central Coast First or Craig Doyle, you'll just be throwing the same old fertiliser on the new general manager.

"I think Kate da Costa and Hillary Morris would be excellent councillors if you don't mind the fact that they're Greens.

"I'd like thank all those people in the community that have supported me and written to me or called me to thank me for things I've done.

"I'm just sorry I won't be there for another term to keep up the good fight," said Cr Freewater.

Email, 9 Aug 2012

Peter Freewater, Horsfield Bay

Kaitlin Watts, 10 Aug 2012