Cr Brown a no show
WHILE most of the candidates for the upcoming Bass Coast Shire election in the new Island and Western Port wards attended an informative Meet the Candidates forum in Cowes last Friday night, the only sitting councillor to attend was Cr Phil Wright.
Cr Bradley Drew sent an apology and Cr Kimberley Brown was just a no show.
Those attending were left scratching their heads, wondering why Cr Brown just didn’t turn up to this informative and well run forum, organised by the Phillip Island Conservation Society.
After being welcomed by conservation society president Anne Davies, the forum was chaired by Sheila Johns, a teacher at Newhaven College.
The forum was well structured and gave candidates present, including Island Ward’s Pamela Rothfield, Val Ogier, Phil Wright, Ruth Partridge, Maurice Schinkel, Stephen Fullerton, Michael Whelan and Western Port’s Ashley Lamers, Geoff Ellis and Mikhaela Barlow, a three minute speech followed by question time.
What came out loud and clear from many of the candidates on the night was greater protection, care and funding for the environment on Phillip Island and around the coast, with particular attention to foreshore erosion, to re-establish a hospital and new aquatic centre on Phillip Island, beautify the Cowes township, and invest more funds into better facilities and infrastructure on the Island.
Apart from the obvious fact Cr Brown was nowhere to be seen, it was also evident this was a low key forum and everyone was well behaved, but there were strong words from some candidates on the night, including Mikhaela Barlow who referred to the Bass Coast council as “climate criminals” for failing to fix many of the environmental issues affecting the shire.
Then there was Ruth Partridge who said, this current council “is in disarray”.
“We are at the bottom of the satisfaction survey for councils and how do we get to the end of the year and be told there is an extra $2.5 million just sitting around waiting to be spent. This is your money and then the CEO (Paul Buckley) found $800,000 for three new executive staff. This is just staggering and definitely not good financial management,” Ms Partridge said.
“I don’t think the councillors know what is going on. It is just shocking.”
Stephen Fullarton, chair of Phillip Island Stand Alone said, “Nothing has happened on the Island for 22 years. We need the airport extended, the tip reinstated, urgent works on the foreshore and beaches, and refuse to believe our rates should be used to prop up Wonthaggi.
“The CEO runs the Bass Coast Shire and it has to come back to councillors. I still support Stand Alone and want to secede.”
Pam Rothfield called for greater transparency, wants to see Wonthaggi Hospital developed into a sub regional facility, and a 24 hour medical facility on the Island, does not support rezoning of the Island airport or extensions to town boundaries, and wants to see a lot more work on the foreshore.
Val Ogier would like to see big changes and suggested “throwing out” of some of the people employed on council and employing a civil engineer and also supported a hospital on the Island, but suggested going direct to the Minister for Health. She wants the Cowes main street revitalised and described it as “grooty and dreadful”.
Completed ballot material must be in the mail or hand-delivered to the election office by 6pm on Friday, October 21. There are no voting centres for this election.
Meet the candidates: from left, Island and Western Port candidates Phil Wright, Geoff Ellis, Michael Whelan, Maurice Schinkel, Stephen Fullarton, Ruth Partridge, Pam Rothfield and Mikhaela Barlow with Phillip Island Conservation Society president Anne Davie and candidate Val Ogier attended a special candidates forum, organised by the Phillip Island Conservation Society on Friday night in Cowes.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Oct 11 2016. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
