Marquart likely to be elected

Liberal Party candidate Mr Troy Marquart appeared to be likely to be elected as one of the three councillors representing Gosford West ward.

The Liberal Party had secured 6847 votes by 10:30am on Wednesday, September 13, edging closer to the quota of 8171 required for their first candidate to be elected.

The Liberals were well ahead of other groups and Mr Marquart said he was quietly confident he would be elected.

Mr Marquart said he would see through his campaign commitment to address the urgent need to fix the Ettalong channel.

He said during the campaign he had identified the need to work closely with the community, ferry operators and the NSW Government to deliver dredging works at Ettalong.

"The lack of dredging has also impacted locals in suburbs such as Killcare, Wagstaffe and Booker Bay in addition to local transport operators, sailing clubs and businesses from elsewhere on the Central Coast and other areas in NSW who rely on the channel to be open, healthy and operational," Mr Marquart said.

"The State Liberal Government and Council have made major progress in recent months, including $150,000 from the NSW Government to accelerate emergency dredging works at Ettalong and keep the channel open," he said.

"Locals need Council representatives who are determined to see this project happen, and ensure the necessary works are approved as soon as possible."

"Dredging needs to continue but it is only part of the remedy.

"We cannot have ferries lodged in sand banks."

Mr Marquart said he would begin to address roads and drainage issues on the Peninsula by allocating a "large chunk" of the Central Coast Council's current capital works program to Peninsula projects.

"There has always been a massive issue with roads and drainage on the Peninsula," he said.

"I drove over the Rawson Rd level crossing yesterday afternoon," he said.

"It is one of those road issues that exists that is going to need to lean upon the capital works funding package."

He said he understood that Woy Woy Peninsula was earmarked for a significant amount of infill medium-to-high density residential development and said he would advocate that the infrastructure needs to come first.

"We need to develop the infrastructure first or have a fail-safe plan for the infrastructure to go in at the same time as the development," he said.

Mr Marquart said: "In Gosford West ward, the voters have preferred Labor, Liberal and Chris Holstein.

"I personally believe those three individuals didn't go in with just a one issue strategy.

We now need to work collaboratively and get the grants for the Central Coast from State and Federal Government that it has been missing out on.

I think the first challenge for the new Council, after the counting is finished, is making sure we all forge relationships that will allow this council to move forward in a positive direction.

"It will be nothing more than disastrous if we get stuck in infighting and in things that do not relate to local government," he said.

Sources:

Media release, 5 Sep 2017

Interviews, 13 and 14 Sep 2017

Troy Marquart, Liberal Party

Reporter: Jackie Pearson