New councillors comments 'interesting and enlightening'

It was interesting and enlightening to listen to and read the comments made by the three councillors-elect for the West Gosford Ward, reflecting on their priorities for the new council.

Mr Mehrtens seemed principally focussed on communications between the council and the residents and emphasised the need for responsiveness and transparency in the making of council decisions.

This is, of course, very encouraging, given the opacity of the council's operations in the past, but it does not provide much guidance about the priorities that he thinks the council should be taking up for the long-term benefit of the region.

It is also not clear how far this openness will carry, if it comes into conflict with factional Labor interests, so much remains uncertain about his performance.

It is encouraging that he both lives and works in the ward and will, presumably, be accessible for constituents with a concern they want to express.

Mr Marquart's main priority seemed to be to resist any idea of changing the date of Australia Day, which is clearly a burning issue with residents of the Peninsula (accounting, no doubt, for his strong second showing in the polls), although one would have been misled by many articles in Peninsula News into thinking that road conditions, drainage problems and commuter parking were higher on their list of issues requiring attention.

It only goes to show how easily the press confects these issues that are rightly ignored by any prescient politician.

As for Mr Holstein, we have him on his pet hobbyhorse of the Rawson Rd crossing, now costed at $115 million and, almost certainly, heading to more like $150 million in its final form.

One wonders how much enthusiasm there will be amongst Central Coast ratepayers for this project when they realise how much will have to come out of their pockets for its implementation - that is to say on top of the $15 million already squandered on the Rawson Rd white elephant.

What was most interesting was to hear the words of Dr Van Davy on his ambitions for the next election when he wants to sign up candidates committed to the Community Plan as part of their platform (perhaps, as the main plank of their platform) and hopes to see a majority of independent councillors elected in 2020.

It is an admirable goal, and I wish him luck with it particularly on the second part that will need all the luck in the world, to judge by the voting proclivities shown at this election.

Perhaps, we should wait and see how the present format works out.

Of course, I gave the same counsel at the time of the Administrator's appointment, and look how well that worked out.

Email, 18 Sep 2017

Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy