1 Candidate details
Name: Chris Cherry
Council: Tweed Shire
Town/city: Wooyung / Pottsville
Number of years in shire/LGA: 35 yrs
Current councillor? No
Are you a member of a political party or an organised ‘ticket’? No
Current president of the Pottsville Community Association. I co-founded the Sustainable Villages Alliance for the protection of community rights in the local area in 2006.
Brief description: I studied a doctorate in Biophysics at the University of NSW. My family have owned the Wooyung Caravan Park for three generations and I returned to manage the park six years ago to give my children the same uncomplicated childhood in the Tweed Shire that I had.
2 What has motivated you to stand?
I have lived overseas for several years and seen how legislation can be used to improve the quality of life in a community. I think the community deserves more representation and advocacy in local and state issues.
3 What is your vision for the shire/LGA?
I think we need to foster employment opportunities that promote a strong community network here and value the assets we have in this shire.
4 In your opinion, how can council best balance the need for further residential development with the need to preserve the local environment?
I think it is our responsibility to ensure new residential developments maximise their potential and become the type of planned communities people want to live in while minimising their impact on the surrounding environment.
5 What particular issues do you feel strongly about?
I feel that through the Tweed Shire Community Strategic Plan 2011–2021 the community have made their priorities very clear and council should do its best to follow that. People need infrastructure that promotes healthy lifestyles and integrated social networks and they need real consultation to promote ownership and pride in their communities.
We owe it to our children to find a balance between employment opportunities and the protection of our natural environment.
I believe the way to achieve change and the protection of the rights of existing communities is through changes in legislation and the council seems the best place to do that.