1 Candidate details
Name: Brian Lewis
Council: Tweed
Town/city: Banora point
Number of years in shire/LGA: 37
Current councillor? N0
Clubs/sports/interests: Involved in surf life saving training, education and patrolling through Cudgen Headland SLSC and Fingal Rovers SLSC; also a member of the Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf Club and have played golf there for the past 30 years. I am the current treasurer of the Kingscliff Chamber of Commerce and was the former vice-president and treasurer of Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf.
Are you a member of a political party or an organised ‘ticket’? Yes
If yes, which party or who else is on your ticket? Group F
Brief description: Certified practising accountant with my own business in Chinderah and I am an active community resident who is very concerned with the future leadership of the Tweed shire.
2 What has motivated you to stand?
Tweed needs a team of councillors that can work together and guide us for the next four years. While the previous councillors individually have passion and are motivated they are clearly rudderless when it comes to leadership and direction. Along with the new GM it is essential our next team of councillors find a captain to lead the team onto the paddock and kick some goals. I was motivated to find a group of like-minded candidates that would run in the same direction and Carolyn Byrne is the captain of our team to make it happen.
3 What is your vision for the shire/LGA?
Jobs – sustainability and investment. All three are relevant individually but can’t happen without the other and our team has the professional expertise to ensure Tweed gets the trifecta. Our group isn’t advocating a build-at-all-costs approach because that isn’t sustainable in the long run but our vision is mixed with the economic realities of increased costs of doing business for both council and businesses.
4 In your opinion, how can council best balance the need for further residential development with the need to preserve the local environment?
Cobaki Lakes and Kings Forest have been identified as two major housing regions for Tweed and along with council policy and strict NSW planning regulations these two investments will be compliant with latest regulations. Preservation of the local environment is essential, regardless of whether it’s a new or existing dwelling and our group would encourage ‘best-practice’ education for all residents to have a better understanding of where their water comes from, what happens with their waste and where the toilet water goes when we flush. This would give everyone young and old an appreciation of the energy and costs involved from council to the end user.
5 What particular issues do you feel strongly about?
Council efficiency and productivity. It is clear from looking at council’s financials that if they were private enterprise, the board of directors would have declared it a mess and put a broom through the place. I am sure all the workers as individuals have our interests at heart but the bureaucracy of council itself doesn’t allow it to run as efficiently as it should.
