Local news for local people
Meet the candidates - Page 1
September 5, 2024
On August 29, the Oberon Business and Tourism Association hosted a public meeting at the Oberon RSL so that candidates for Oberon Council at the September 14 election could introduce themselves to the residents. There are 18 candidates - six current Councillors, three Independents and nine in the Oberon First group backed by Oberon Against Wind Towers. Nine Councillors will be elected.
The expectant audience.
Eleven candidates spoke on the night (there were only two from Oberon First) and all except one provided Oberon Matters with copies of their speeches. Frank O'Connor from Oberon First declined the opportunity of having his speech published.
The speeches were scanned from printed copies and the only editing has been to correct a couple of spelling errors (nobody needs to be embarrassed - we've all done it), make some style changes and fix some scanning errors.
The candidates getting ready.
Current Councillors seeking reelection
Helen Hayden
Good
evening, everyone,
Thank you all for being here today. For those who don’t know me My name is Helen Hayden, locally born and raised and my family settled here many generations ago in the early 1800s.
I am honoured to stand before you as a candidate seeking a second term to represent our wonderful community.
From the very beginning, my passion has always been Oberon. I believe that a strong, vibrant community is built on the foundation of trust, transparency, and active engagement. Over the past 2 years and 9mths, I have dedicated myself to ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.
One of the cornerstones of my work has been keeping you, our community, updated on what happens not only within our immediate area but also our villages and the broader region. I firmly believe that informed citizens are empowered citizens. By staying informed, we can collectively make better decisions that benefit us all. As they say Knowledge is power.
During my first term, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that communication channels are open and accessible. I have been active at rural regional summits; I have represented my community and council at Local Roads Congress at Parliament house where we discuss road-related policy issues that form part of the advocacy focus for the roads and transport directorate for the next 12 mths. I have advocated as part of an 11 council workshop with the rural doctors network, for better health services and outcomes for our community and region, along with many other conferences/summits/workshops and importantly connecting with Ministers and shadow ministers in both houses of parliament to seek more assistance in many areas for our council and community.
Whether through regular meetings, events, coffee catch ups, or social media updates, my goal has always been to keep you informed, to be available and to listen to your concerns and ideas. Your feedback has been invaluable, and it has guided many of the initiatives that have been undertaken, as well as assist my decision making, because ultimately, I’ve been elected to be your voice, and I would like to continue in that role.
As I seek a second term, my commitment to transparency and dedication to our community remains unwavering. I promise to continue working with the same passion and integrity that you have come to expect.
Together, we have achieved so much, but there is still much more to be done. I am excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for our community.
I am here today to ask for your support. Let us continue this journey together, building on our successes and tackling new challenges with the same spirit of collaboration and mutual respect. With your trust and support, I am confident that we can make our community an even better place to live, work, and thrive.
I would also like to thank OBTA for this opportunity to address you all at this meet the candidates evening, and I would like to thank all those other candidates who have put themselves forward for this election, As I have learned over this past term, being a councillor is hard work, time consuming, has many ups and downs, but worth every little bit to see community betterment.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to continuing to represent you.
My Policies will be driven by strategic thought processes and what are the best ways forward for Oberon.
My critical focus will be around 10 key areas:
- The Local Economy
- Community
- Health
- Heritage
- Sport
- Public Transport
- Agriculture
- Business- Tourism
- Roads and Infrastructure
- Arts & Culture (Festivals/Events etc)
Ian Tucker
Thank
you for coming this evening, and thank you to OBTA for organising
this forum.
For those of you who know my background, you won't be surprised that my focus is on Council's service delivery. Especially improvements to roads, addressing the dirty water problems, and maintaining essential waste disposal services in the face of changing legal obligations.
The aim always is to get the best possible services for residents, at the lowest possible cost.
The biggest one, of course, is roads. I'm sure the other Councillors get sick of me talking about roads. Roads take up more than 2/3 of Council's budget. Last year's community survey showed that the biggest dissatisfaction with Council was about the condition of our roads. Council's own figures show that we are still a long way short of allocating the amount of money needed just to maintain our road network in its current condition.
To my mind it's a bit like buying a new car, then not bothering to service it, and don't worry about that loud knocking noise coming from the engine. Just keep driving till it conks out at the side of the road, then take it to the tip and buy another new one. Maybe that's a possible strategy, but I think it's a terrible and extremely expensive strategy. But it's effectively what we're currently doing with our roads. Many of our roads will not last as long as was intended when they were built.
Water. Those of you living in town will have had direct experience of the dirty water problems. It was a Councillor initiative which led to a study being conducted to identify the causes, and recommend actions to reduce the problems. Some of those things have been done, but others will need a large amount of money. I can assure residents that this will not be forgotten, I will continue to look for every opportunity to make this happen.
Waste disposal will be a big issue in the next term. We will have to change the way we do things, and costs will increase substantially. My aim will be to protect those basic, essential waste services, and keep the cost to residents to a minimum.
Another of my aims is for Council to carry out more projects using its own workforce and equipment, rather than putting so much out to external contract. In my experience this is often cheaper and produces better quality. And importantly, it keeps more money in the community, and provides more career opportunities for our local young people.
I urge you to cast your vote for candidates who are serious about providing better services and reducing costs wherever possible.
Thank you for listening. I will be happy to talk to anyone in more detail after the conclusion of the forum.
Andrew McKibbin
Andrew McKibbin stood on his record as Councillor and Deputy Mayor and spoke without notes, talking about Council's achievements over the last few years. These included the new Library and Community Centre, the start of works on the new sports complex and the O'Connell recreation ground and the changes at Oberon Common. He mentioned the importance of the replacement of the current Sewage Treatment Plant and emphasised the need for careful financial management to maintain the current Council's good financial position. He also warned residents about the problems associated with single-issue candidates and advised them to think carefully about how their votes could influence the future of both Oberon and the Council.
Clive McCarthy
Clive McCarthy also spoke without notes, with emphasis on the need for good relationships between Councillors and Council staff. Without cooperation and mutual respect and recognition of the different roles of Councillors and Staff it can be difficult to get things done properly and in a timely fashion. He also mentioned the achievements of the current Council and his intention to keep working for the good of the whole community.
Lauren Trembath
Good evening, My name is Lauren Trembath and I am a current Oberon Councillor with three years experience - a role I consider a privilege.
A
very famous quote that I like is "The best reward life has to offer
is a chance to work hard at work worth doing" and I am here standing
again to continue working hard for the community and work on the big
challenges that are coming our way. We are a growing community, and
growth needs to be managed with thoughtful planning in a way that
protects the rural beauty, rural community and heritage.
We as a Council function with a heavy reliance on grants and it requires close and careful management of our finances to ensure we do not go the way of other surrounding councils. We are financially in a good position but to stay that way requires only doing what is best for the community as a whole. I have a business background and can fulfill the financial and business acumen skills required of a Councillor.
In addition to my Councillor responsibilities I also get more insight into our community as
Council delegate for The Western
Regions Planning Panel
The Sports Complex Steering Committee
member
Chair of the Sports Committee that oversees and provides
assistance to the sporting groups in our community
Chair of the
Heritage Committee that advocates for the protection of our heritage
items
Council Delegate O'Connell Valley Community Group
Health Services available to our community and the Central West is another area that I would like to continue to focus on. I had a recent personal experience with my husband that required major plastic surgery and the experience was an eye-opener to the disconnect between the regions and city systems. Whilst not directly a Councillor responsibility I have had communication with Ryan Park, MP, the Parliamentary Secretary, and our local MP Paul Toole as I believe some small changes could have quite an impact on the regions and assist our community when navigating health.
I recently requested a tour of our Sewerage Treatment and Water plants as I wanted to understand how it works as it will be one of the most important projects to oversee financially. The tour revealed we have many unsung heroes in the Council team. We as Councillors can sit in a room making plans on how much money to spend and looking at designs but these people make it happen and without them we could not function and that goes for all Council staff and I mention the staff as without the Council team we as Councillors would not be able to achieve or progress the work for our community as it is their reports and recommendations, that we use to guide us when making a lot of decisions.
If elected it is important to have a focus on an agenda that will benefit all the community. Some things will not be completed in the four-year period, but we as Councillors should always work towards a long-term strategy as the challenges we face now and in the future are not always quick fix problems. Other major projects in the next term will be a new Comprehensive Land Use Strategy and requirements for us to work on meeting the EPA laws to be compliant with FOGO by 2030.
I have always given 110 percent to anything I do and been fully committed to my role as a Councillor and will continue to do so if re-elected to the role. I am a committed and passionate person and believe I have a track record with the work I have done to date on Council.
Thank you and I do hope you will consider me when making your choices at the polling booth and I am easy to find at the bottom of the list as number 9. (Always consistent - I was last on the ballot last time
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