Time to raise the question of a local council election
Now that we have a new state government, the time is opportune to raise again the question of a local council election, to replace the Administrator under whose yoke we have now suffered for several years.
It is to be hoped that the new Minister will be less intransigent on this decision than was Wendy Tuckerman in office.
The feeble excuse that ratepayers should not be burdened with two elections within a short period was always nothing but a smokescreen: had voters been consulted on the matter, I am certain that the vast majority would have chosen an early election, in preference to the continuing rule of the Administrator.
As it stands now, it would seem efficient to hold the local government election in conjunction with the referendum that is to be mounted later in the year, thus avoiding the inconvenience of voters having to go to two separate polls.
Constituents should take this matter up with the Government members for the area and make our wishes known.
This will be a good opportunity for us to gauge how responsive the Government is likely to be, over the coming term, to community considerations, so let us make the most of it.
Since the Administrator was appointed by the previous Minister, the Government has no vested interest in his remaining in the role, so it could only be the Office of Local Government bureaucracy that would want to oppose a change.
Perhaps, the Minister might want to send a message of a clean break with the previous not-highly-regarded administration, and this could be a good way to do it.
Let us take advantage of the moment and press our case with a strong representation to our office holders.
SOURCE:
Email, 28 Mar 2023
Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy