Duncan Dey, Greens candidate
In Byron Shire there will be two local-government elections on September 8: one for eight councillors and a separate election for a ninth councillor, called mayor. Spreading our vote over eight positions allows for roughly proportional representation – candidates need about one-eighth of the vote to get elected. It’s quite democratic.
For mayor it’s a presidential-style ‘winner-takes-all’ election. The mayoral result affects the councillor one. If the elected mayor is also standing on a councillor ticket, they are removed from it and votes for them pass down to their number-two candidate. Four of the mayoral candidates are also top candidate on a councillor ticket for September 8. Hence, for example, if we elect Woods for mayor, we’ll likely see Cubis on council and possibly Hunter. If we elect Cameron, we’ll get Hart and maybe Arrowsmith.
I hope we elect Richardson for mayor. This will likely put Rose Wanchap on council and maybe me as well (number 3 on the Greens ticket). Vote Green in both elections, please.
Why not vote for the Greens to captain and crew the goodship Byron Shire, when the current Green Councillors have demonstrated their inability to ensure that roads are repaired and toilets are cleaned.
Why not vote for the Greens who wasted a fortune on bogus legal advice – including inventing a human rights abusing “new definition” of camping that no Court of Law is permitted to apply.
Why not vote for more of the same.
Unfortunately, Simon Richardson has demonstrated that being a hard working Councillor is not enough – the Mayor needs to have a working knowledge of politics and law in order to protect citizens (ratepayers) from ‘criminals with law degrees’; including those employed by the State.
On a personal level, I like Simon. On a political level, I hope that Simon will be elected as a Councillor (which no doubt he will be).
Party politics is not democracy; and neither is stacking the deck (ballot paper) with the intention of facilitating Council being comprised of mostly Green Candidates when that would be disproportionate to the political views of residential citizens.
Byron Shire Council should include Councillors with a variety of political viewpoints; preferably headed by a Mayor who is genuinely Independent and respects the democratic right of all political views to be represented at Council. Yes – I refer to myself.
This Candidate for Mayor is not a member of any political party; and I not have a set political agenda – other than Council complying with the Law (not to be confused with unlawful ‘rules’ and ‘regulations’) and attempting to represent the majority with consideration for the needs and desires of all the citizens of Byron Shire; and every human being within our Shire – including the “visitors”.
Should this Candidate be elected the Mayor, the citizens of Byron Shire will have elected a Mayor who is not a Greenie or any other colour scheme of politics; rather a Mayor who is truly independent of party politics and believes that Byron Shire Council should engage in “rainbow” politics.