Susanna Freymark
Former Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell was the adjudicator at the first Meet the Candidates session held at the Kyogle Golf Club on Thursday, August 22.
Ms Dowell told the audience of 100 what the rules of engagement were which included no heckling (clapping was allowed).
17 candidates are running in the Kyogle Council election across three wards and 16 were at the Meet the Candidates – Doug Layton sent an apology.
In attendance were Earle Grundy, Rob Cullen, Simon Dejoux, Ian Murrell, Naomi Worrall, Tom Cooper, Janet Wilson, Olivia Taylor, Glenn Robinson, James Murray, John Burley, Neil Summerville, Robin Harley, Danielle Mulholland, Kieran Somerville and Brett McNamara.
Six of the candidates are councillors on the current council.
All councillors (one ward at a time) had three minutes to introduce themselves with the surprise of one speaking French (Robinson) and another reading an original poem (Cooper).
Then all 16 councillors sat together on several tables joined together. The number of candidates is impressive with some NSW councils not having elections at all because there aren’t enough candidates – not so in Kyogle.
The contentious questions from the audience were sometimes edited or refused by Ms Dowell.
A question about Code of Conduct was mainly refused and a question about secrecy and transparency in the council was only partially addressed.
Mr Murray said he had been accused of being a block-voter.
“I’m not part of a block. I’m not a sheep. I make my own decisions,” he said.
Mr Burley said secrecy in council meetings “divides the community.”
An audience member asked which councillors supported not having wards.
Mr Cooper said Kyogle Council was one of the strangest councils in NSW, and across Australia because of its geography.
West of the range feel like they are out the back of Bourke in relation to Kyogle geography-wise, he said.
Residents in Ward C travel through Richmond Valley or Tenterfield LGAs to reach Kyogle LGA.
Most councillors said they would serve all of the Kyogle LGA, not just the Ward they were voted in.
Some councillors don’t live in their Ward as it is not an electoral commission requirement.
Janet Wilson, Olivia Taylor, Kieran Somerville and Brett McNamara live in different wards than the one they are running in.
Mr Grundy, who currently lives in Queensland, and has rented a property in Old Bonalbo, made it clear he would live here if elected. He was a councillor on Kyogle Council for five years.
There is little difference between Wards A and B as the wards cut through the Kyogle township. As wards are based on population Ward C is a large ward with a much more spread out population, and because of its geography, the issues can differ from those in the other two wards.
At one point, Ms Dowell said, “We need to address the elephant in the room.”
That ‘elephant’ was the sacking of the general manager.
“One of the most contentious (things) was the termination of Graham Kennett’s contract. How do you see your councillor involvement in this?”
Mr Cooper said it would be up to the new council to appoint a new GM.
Mr McNamara said it’s about perception.
“We need a council who is united. If I’m a GM, I want to know I’m working with a team.”
Ms Mulholland said the appointment of a GM should be a merit-based election process.
“It’s really important the whole council gets behind a GM,” Ms Dowell said.
She said the relationship between a GM and a council must be based on trust and respect.
“You need to see council work together.”
Another audience question was: “The best councils have the confidence of their community. How do you see your role in the community?”
Mr Robinson said it was important to build confidence so the people feel connected rather than being stonewalled or locked out.
“I’m all about inclusion,” he said.
Ms Worrall said the community needed better access to the council. She suggested possibly changing the time of the meeting (held at 2pm) and live streaming the meeting (many councils do this so residents can watch the meeting in real time).
A man stood and asked about fixing roads and drainage.
Mr Dejoux said funding was what got roads fixed and other projects happening in the community.
“Most of our funding comes from state and federal funding.”
He said there are 127 councils in NSW, and Kyogle is competing with them for funding.
“We need to know how to work the ministers. We are a small council in a big competition.”
Ms Dowell asked each candidate to give their personal opinion on the referendum. The referendum question:
Do you favour the election of the Mayor by electors for a four-year term with the number of wards reduced from three to two, each ward comprising of four councillors, plus a popularly elected Mayor?
Not one single councillor said they would vote Yes.
Eight said they would vote No – N. Summerville, Cooper, Taylor, McNamara, Murrell, Harley, Murray, Cullen.
Eight said they would accept whatever the community voted on and did not express a personal opinion – Robinson, K. Somerville, Worrall, Grundy, Dejoux, Burley, Mulholland, Wilson.
The Meet the Candidates was hosted by the Kyogle Chamber of Commerce.
There are three more sessions:
Bonalbo Bowling Club, August 29 at 6pm
Kyogle Golf Club, September 5 at 6pm
Woodenbong Sports Club, September 6 at 6pm
All Kyogle Council stories can be read here.
Editor personal disclosure: I live and will be voting in Ward C.
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