Each week leading up to the Local Government Elections on September 14, the Clarence Valley Independent will publish answers to questions provided to all 17 candidates who have nominated for the 9 positions on Council. We hope that by reading the answers of each of the candidates, it will provide some insight into how nominees feel about “ordinary” issues.
Two candidates declined to take part in this week’s question set: CVC Mayor Cr Peter Johnstone and candidate Amanda Brien. The remaining 15 candidates all agreed to participate
This week’s three questions are listed below.
Question 1: Can you provide some insight into what you feel are the general public’s concerns about the current Council / likewise can you give an insight as to issues the public seem pleased about.
Question 2: Perhaps the two most contentious Council infrastructure projects under the current Council are the Grafton Aquatic Centre and the Yamba Treelands Drive development. Are you satisfied with the way these projects have been handled by Council?
Question 3: Do you have any issues with the way in which the public are able access council staff and elected councillors?
Lynne Cairns
Question 1 – I have spoken with many people in the community about their concerns with the current Council. The following concerns were provided:
- High on the list is the lack of community consultation and participation as Council is not ensuring providing important information to those residents who are impacted by Council’s decisions. For example, Council neglected to inform the owners of properties about the proposal to rezone their property in relation to Council’s Local Housing Strategy. The fact that Council only provides information online, on Council’s website, Facebook and Council Conversations. Not everybody has internet access. People are wanting town hall meetings, at suitable times with adequate notification, rather than the drop-in-sessions provided by Council.
- Unsustainable development on the Clarence Valley floodplain, particularly in Yamba and Grafton.
- The lack of Council appearing to take into consideration the risk to residents’ lives and livelihoods, during a flood event.
- Affordable housing in appropriate locations, not on floodplains.
- Council shouldn’t cost shift service charges from developments to exiting ratepayers.
- Responsible spending of ratepayers’ money. Council must concentrate on essential services and maintenance of existing assets and take into account whole of life costs. Council appears to be focused more on extraneous grandiose infrastructure than providing essential infrastructure, such as stormwater drainage, levee maintenance.
- Concerns about the increase of rates and another Special Rate Variation, along with the increase in the cost of living.
Question 2 – In relation to the Aquatic Centre in Grafton, I support the need for a swimming pool, however I have the following concerns with the process:
- Lack of consideration that there will be no hydrotherapy pool in Grafton area (meeting health standards) once the South Grafton Pool is sold.
- The decision Council made was based on unrealistic visitations to the new Aquatic Centre, stating that there would be some 250,000 visitors per year. The Ballina pool has about 150,000 visitors per year and is a much larger complex with a water slide and there are some 7 caravan parks and other accommodation available within walking distance.
- The Consultant’s Report was out of date, dated 2018.
- No extra parking places have been included in the plans.
In relation to the Yamba Treelands Drive Centre development process I have the following concerns:
- The original request for tenders in January 2018 outlined that the Centre would be demolished prior to any community consultation commencing in May 2018.
- The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund Grant (BLER) was obtained by stating that it would serve as a refuge in times of natural disasters, such as floods. Treelands Drive was cut off by stormwater in the 2022 flood event.
- The survey to choose between Option A (to demolish and rebuild) and Option B (to refurbish and extend) was flawed.
- Council’s February 2023 Business Paper stated that Option B does not meeting the grant guidelines and the approved allocated funding, which was incorrect. This was confirmed in writing by the BLER funding body.
I am not satisfied with how both these projects were handled by Council.
Question 3 – I have concerns as it is quite difficult for the public to access Council staff as quite often staff do not make themselves available to the public. The only access is generally at a drop-in session and is time limited and isolates the public.
Councillors should be provided better access to Council staff. At the moment Councillors can only access staff by approval of the General Manager.
Steve Pickering
Question 1 – Clarence Valley Council commissions a community sentiment survey every two years. The last survey’s results showed that roads, road conditions, and road maintenance are the number one concerns. During the current term of council, we have focused a lot of resources on roads. The council has introduced a maintenance program that aims to catch up on the backlog of work, aiming to complete 16 years of work, down to two years. This is achieved by using both council staff and external contractors, with much of the funding coming from grants. Many people comment to me as a current councillor on how available councillors are, how councillors attend many events and are very approachable. The Councillor Listening Tours probably helped in this regard, along with most councillors also attending the initial Community Strategic Planning sessions, which were held all over the valley. After the upcoming election, council staff and the new councillors will start visiting our towns and villages again, asking for input into the new Community Strategic Plan, this plan will guide council decisions for the following 4 years. If you have a vision for our valley, if you want to see a change in how things are done, this is your opportunity. Attend one of the meetings or make a submission through the council website when the opportunity is announced.
Question 2 – Two significant projects which are approaching completion during the current term of council are the Grafton Aquatic Centre and the Treelands Drive Community Centre (TDCC). Both of these projects have been underway for many years. The TDCC was first raised by council as being inadequate around 20 years ago, and the Grafton Pool also reached its end of usable life many years ago. Projects of these sizes require a lot of planning and community consultation, in fact the initial scope of design for the new aquatic centre was based on a user survey that asked respondents which features they would like to see in a new pool design. This led to the concept of multiple pools that are all fully accessible. The two indoor pools will also allow the facility to be open all year round. Both of these projects were brewing along for years through many terms of council. Tough decisions needed to be made, and this council has taken that challenge. We can now start looking forward to upcoming projects such as the Maclean Cultural Centre, Rushforth Road water filtration plant, extension of the Brooms Head revetment wall, North Grafton STP upgrade, along with making our beaches more accessible for all, amongst many other projects.
Question 3 – Elected councillor’s contact email addresses and phone numbers are published on the council website. As a current councillor I receive phone calls, SMS text messages and emails frequently. As a business owner with a public-facing business, I receive many visits from people to my Gallery wanting to discuss council issues. I am available and approachable, as I’m sure my fellow councillors are too. The best way to contact council staff is via the main switchboard phone number (02 6643 0200 ) or the main council email address, (council@clarence.nsw.gov.au). By contacting council through the main contact points, it allows the call or email to be routed to the correct person or department. There is also a Report-It function on the council’s website if somebody wants to report an item to the council for repair or maintenance. Communication can always be improved, and If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for the Snap-Send-Solve app to be integrated into council systems. This app allows easy reporting of issues that council needs to be made aware of, such as graffiti, potholes or maintenance of council infrastructure. The app includes a description of the issue, photos, and GPS co-ordinates. It provides an automatic reference number and will check-in regularly with the user to see if the issue has been resolved. I recognise the importance of communication for the council to effectively engage with the community. I am committed to closely collaborating with both the council and the community to constantly enhance and improve our work together.
Justin James
Question 1 – I believe that any Council, regardless of its representatives, will inevitably bear the brunt of ratepayers’ grievances. This responsibility is simply part of the role. Much of the animosity, however, stems from candidates making promises they cannot keep. Many candidates and councillors, in the heat of a campaign, make claims that they later find themselves unable to fulfill once elected. For this reason, my campaign focuses on highlighting the areas of particular interest to me that I intend to champion. I make no promises, as I cannot guarantee anything without majority support. I believe that transparency is key to earning the trust of the people we seek to represent.
Question 2 – There are always multiple perspectives on any issue, as I’ve seen with both the Grafton Aquatic Centre and the Yamba Treelands Drive development. The key thing to remember is that no perspective is entirely right or wrong. However, I believe the real damage in these cases came from a lack of transparency and effective communication. Additionally, having nine councillors with differing views can create a confusing vision for the public.
Question 3 – For the most part, I’ve found that contacting Councillors and council staff hasn’t been an issue for me. However, whether this is the case for everyone is another story. I’ve heard from others in the community who have had the opposite experience, so it’s debatable. That said, I pride myself on being approachable and, if elected, I will make it a priority to connect with the people I represent.
Debrah Novak
Question1 – From what our ratepayers share with me the three greatest concerns are, potholes, high grass on the roadside verges, DA processing and paying higher rates. The public also tell me how great the valley’s sporting fields are, how much they love the 120 Plunge Arts Festival events, how amazing the Grafton foreshore is now for exercising, how much they love the upgrade of the Ulmarra Heritage Precinct, absolutely rave about the Grafton Marketta and concerts with Jessica Mauboy and Troy Cassar Daley, how brilliant the CVC Local Native Plant website is and people are very excited about the building of the new state of the art Grafton Regional Aquatic Centre and Treelands Drive Community Cultural Centre.
Question 2 – CVC has strict probity and transparency around its projects and the spending of public money. Community and Councillors are absolutely entitled to have a view. The Grafton Regional Aquatic Centre has had extensive community consultation since 2013. A $30K Ernst & Young report requested by Cr Smith to allay his fears found CVC was in a very sound financial position and could borrow up to $90 million. CVC has borrowed $25 million for the pool. It’s going to be an amazing inclusive facility when its built and take pride of place in our valley. The same as the Treelands Drive Community Cultural Centre. As an elected Councillor our job is also to think about the future and what assets are available for our young people, artisans, event organisers and businesses who need access to state of the facilities and library. If Yamba and Grafton don’t have these state-of-the-art facilities it disadvantages all generations.
Question 3 – Council is always looking for ways to improve its customer service. If there are unresolved issues customers can reach out to their elected Councillors for clarification, education and or support. I have 20 people blocked on FB however they can still access me via email anytime. They are not blocked on FB because I disagree with them, they are blocked because they have bad FB manners. I have reported 5 online trolls to the police for their continued cyber bullying and harassment.
Andrew Baker
Question 1 – In 9 years (2012-2021) as Councillor I accepted the impossibility that any councillor could somehow ‘hear from all the community’. Knowing I would never hear from most, or a majority, or even from many of the community, I knew I’d be false to make out I ‘represent’. However, my decisions I believe were both representative of, and in the best interest of, the community we live in – after considering all of the valid information available to me (and as required by the Local Government Act … to represent the collective interests of residents, ratepayers and the local community,). So to;
Concerns: The first concern seems to be: ‘Council might want a special rate increase’. Second concern seems to be: ‘Council doesn’t do enough/spend enough money’ on ….. (insert … their particular area/s of interest).
Next comes: ‘lack of response to maintenance, to complaints, to issues or to questions’. I agree these do trouble some, and improvements should occur. However, in addressing concerns, I’ve always had to bear in mind the size of the Council organisation, the Council geographical area of responsibility, the available workforce, the available resources and the available budget. And always bearing in mind the many legislative constraints imposed on Councils.
Pleased about: I rarely hear from ‘pleased’ people. And I don’t go looking for that sort of information. I do think there’s many good things to be pleased about but the question is about others being pleased.
Question 2. I’m neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. The governing body of the day made the majority decisions it believed best at that time. My position if elected will be to do everything to make a good outcome of any previous lawful resolution regardless of whether I would have been for or against. Doing that is being respectful of the need for orderly continuation of the elected governing body process. Again, if elected I will apply myself to current and future issues rather than trying to reach back in time looking for a rewrite of history or engaging in some sort of blame game. I have to say here that the new Grafton Council depot in my first 2012-2016 term seemed to be a far more contentious proposal than either of these 2 projects. In that case, while I recognised the need for the efficiencies to be created by a new consolidated depot, I strongly and continuously (some unkindly said belligerently) opposed that project and that site. However, once the majority decision was adopted, I willingly joined in to make the most of the decision and the completion of what did turn out to be a good project. I was also a very enthusiastic participant in the consequential process of liquidating the surplus former depots (and other useless assets) to help rectify Council’s financial deficiencies that my first term of Council had inherited.
Question 3. Public access to Council staff: While I’m always willing to point out council administration deficiencies, I have no concerns with this one. I know some (not many) people do believe they have a right to walk in unannounced, or phone in, with the expectation a certain staff member will immediately engage with their issue/s. I’m strongly against council trying to satisfy such expectations. Anybody can in the first instance request an appointment. Or can speak to or email a Customer Service officer. The issue can then be allocated to the appropriate officer/s for response. Councillors in their budget considerations insist that Council be managed effectively and efficiently without excess staff. Trying to satisfy expectations mentioned in this answer would be detrimental to such efficient utilisation of personnel and financial resources.
Public access to councillors: Speaking only about my councillor experience here. As a councillor I was accessible firstly at my dedicated council email address. Dealing initially by email contact was the best way I could understand the issue/s and respond appropriately. Often, I could help by simply resetting the communication process. When occasionally I couldn’t help, I would say the reason. Mostly the issue involved something that needed a response or expertise from council staff or management. In those cases, being mindful councillors are subject to clear protocols that require a councillor to not interact with executive or staff directly, I would request a response from the General Manager. That process worked well.
Des Schroder
Question 1 – As a general overview for all these questions I would enter Council with an optimistic view we can work together in a unified transparent consensus process. My wealth of experience at very senior levels in Government, in some of the most controversial areas, equips me well for this, I’m expert at finding win-win solutions.
The biggest public concern I’ve heard about the present Council is that it was badly split and far from unified. This will naturally change at least three maybe more of the present Councillors won’t be there, three are not re-standing, so this provides a great opportunity for new Councillors to move towards unified consensus decision making. I won’t be joining with any group. My vote will deal with each issue on its merits.
On the pleasing outcomes for the present Council- of course the Grafton Waterfront access is amazing. I think there’s a lot of excitement building in Grafton about the new aquatic centre. Similarly in Maclean for the new entertainment centre. The upgraded Ulmarra CBD is great and the new cycle way connecting Maclean to Townsend a real plus. The playground upgrades across the valley are also marvellous. In Yamba the new Treelands Drive facility. I think the huge amount of funds Council achieved for bridge reconstruction will benefit our rural community well into the future and making them much safer in fires and floods.
Question 2 – I support the vigorous debate that went into these decisions, and I think the process on these two projects was very open to the community and enabled a robust debate. In the end the democratic process prevailed and the very hard decisions, especially the aquatic centre, were made. As a new Councillor I look forward to delivery of these projects.
I am a supporter of both projects for these reasons :-
- The aquatic centre – I’m hearing all the time from some vocal lower river residents especially in Yamba and Iluka they don’t want much more population growth. I’m not sure though this is an entire community view, I’ll be interested to hear from people at the various meetings over the next few weeks. While in Grafton it’s quite the opposite, population growth is accepted and sought. So one way to take the pressure off the coastal growth is to provide world class facilities inland in our city at Grafton (and indeed Maclean). Around Grafton there is already enough land zoned for another 2000 houses in flood free low ecological impact areas at Junction Hill, Clarenza and South Grafton. These types of facilities then can compete with the beaches and move population growth inland.
- Treelands Drive – again a big supporter. The new Treelands Drive does four important things:
- supplies a world class library for Yamba the present library was only one third of the size for the population.
- provides modern meeting flexible rooms for the growing population.
- provides safe working conditions, as you now at all times have two staff members at the new facility where before you had one on their own at each.
- integrates these facilities plus an art space with the TAFE and the Health Centre creating a one stop precinct.
And finally, this is mostly paid for by an $11 million dollars state grant – the biggest I can ever recall for a building in the valley- why wouldn’t you supply a new state of the art facility that Yamba badly needs.
Question 3 – I think the present Council has made general information to the public very accessible. The new magazine is a great initiative. In addition, Council and Senior staff did do a lot of village meet and greets which should continue. The move to electronic reply systems has streamlined feedback quickly on individual issues.
I’m heavily involved in the Grafton community as Vice President of the Jacaranda committee which literally interacts with hundreds of businesses and thousands of individuals, as well as on two community boards and I haven’t heard one complaint about access to Councillors or Council staff.
We shouldn’t mix access with controversy. For instance, in the West Yamba debate the issue isn’t about access it’s about different community views on what should happen.
I do pledge to very accessible if elected.
Shane Causley
Question 1 – This is not a bad Council, but I talk to many locals and most of them, especially young families and seniors, are disappointed that the Council is not doing much to help them with growing cost of living pressures.
They worry that large projects, and development proposals, are diverting council focus and resources away from core services which the community relies on.
Maintenance of roads and infrastructure, noting the Clarence Valley covers particularly large rural areas.
The Clarence Valley’s agricultural community definitely feels underrepresented and a bit forgotten.
Positive comments about the redevelopment of the Ulmarra village centre, with funding from NSW and Federal governments, showing how council projects can revitalise public areas for the benefit of the local community and businesses.
Question 2 – I think it’s an essential function of council to plan for future needs of the community through large projects, however the costs and inconvenience to locals during construction can be overlooked.
I have no insights into the internal processes of these projects obviously, but I consider local residents feedback on a project and potential issues is valuable information for planning and I would make that a focus.
I think the Treelands Drive community centre will be a great community asset for years and years to come. The project was mainly funded by the NSW State Government and will be a benefit to us all.
As a farmer I am passionate about sustainable development. Yes, we need more homes and jobs, but not at the expense of our pristine environment and definitely not outpacing existing infrastructure, like schools and roads. I think the council can do a much better job on that front by conducting real community consultations and getting the setting and zoning correct.
Question 3 – I will not criticise Council staff, who do their best, and I have not heard of many people saying they can’t contact their councillors. I think councillors are generally quite accessible at regular public events.
Perhaps more use of social media, eg online community noticeboards, to get the word out about important events and draft strategies.
Ray Smith
Question 1 – The feedback I have received about the current council is concerning as people believe that there is a faction within the council and as such this impedes good decision making and is detrimental to the future of the Clarence Valley. People have also indicated to me that the current council have not been as transparent as they could be, and this has an adverse effect on the reputation of the council.
Community sentiment however indicates support for the new aquatic centre, albeit slow in coming to fruition, the new river walk in Grafton is very popular as to is the recent beautification of the Ulmarra business precinct.
Question 2 – I believe that the delay in reaching a decision on the Aquatic Centre development, which saw the closure of the Grafton Olympic Pool for 3 seasons, has created a great deal of contention within the community and I believe that it could have been handled better by a timelier decision-making process around confirmation of the available funding for the project, acceptance of contracts and closure of the existing facility.
While I am not privy to all of the details of the Treelands Drive development I believe that there could have been more time spent on consideration on the options of the demolition of a relatively new building compared to the construction of a brand-new building.
Question 3 – There needs to be a staff culture within the council that they are all there to serve the community and that while they have their own council roles and responsibilities to fulfil these roles and responsibilities must be directed to assisting and supporting members of the community. I acknowledge that there has been an unfortunate increase in staff harassment and bullying my members of the public and that the physical protection and mental well-being of staff is very important but at the same time easy access to staff, by members of the public will enhance the confidence in council as an organisation that is responsive to community needs.
Melissa Hellwig
Question 1 – We’ve lived away for years and only recently returned home. So, I’m in a unique position. I mightn’t know exactly what’s happened recently, but my eyes & ears are open with little bias.
People I hear from are generally deeply dissatisfied with the smaller and community aspects of the current administration (staff and many Councillors). But they are pleased with large infrastructure works (roads and bridges). It feels like an engineers’ paradise.
Part of the dissatisfaction is from the emotional rupture of the fires, pandemania, floods, cost of living “crisis” and drought. Oh, let’s not forget war, global politics and social media. Folk mightn’t admit it, but there’s an unravelling here and generally in society. The “normal world” is stressed.
With SO much optimism that new technology will solve old problems we have rapid transformation of everything. It’s hard to keep up. I ask – do we have to?
We have to tell the truth. It’s a massive council area with too little money. We have some huge projects. Development opportunists circle around. Most people have CVC issues to deal with, whether it’s planning or access to services. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.
Because of this – staff are overworked. We have a huge influx of population with high urban expectations. There’s LOTS to deal with.
Councils move slowly but ALWAYS in a forward motion. With gentleness and respect for the average persons’ needs we can repair. Grassroots community connections and vibrancy is still VERY strong. Birrinba, our Mother River can handle it.
Question 2 – Whatever has transpired is done (ouch ! Many won’t like that response). There is lots of resentment about these two projects.
I will obviously act upon new reports, information, timelines and requests as they come up. But some of the old resentment, anger and community frustrations won’t serve us if there’s no action we can take to change the future. Call me naive, but my satisfaction (or not) is somewhat irrelevant.
I aim to try not to hold on to old hurts & mistakes. At the same time though, if I don’t support a decision, I’m not about to be unauthentic and say things I don’t believe in just to present a united Council front. That’s ikky.
We can only start from a fresh slate if we use the discipline to start with a fresh slate. I understand past errors, misdemeanours even skulduggery of large projects has occurred in the past and hopefully less so in future.
As awful as much of the processes were, where we are today is the only place we can act from. I was not in the Valley for much of it.
From what I can gather, the term “fit for purpose” is an interesting term that excused the Treelands Drive location from the more sustainable option of retrofitting. We do seem to be too quick to embrace new for the sake of emission reduction or technological upgrades, instead of reducing our material volumes and avoiding waste.
I intend on being a cautious and fiscally conservative member of Council.
Question 3 – Again, the shift to greater technology use appears to have severed the ability of the general public to communicate with staff effectively. I’m still very keen on “ground-truthing” matters and person-to-person contact. NOTHING will replace the effectiveness of that.
I look forward to building a focus group – a team of community supporters who can help me be a better conduit between CVC staff and grassroots community. Like them or not, community groups ought to have quite a bit of power IF their mission is to help fill a need the Council isn’t or cannot do. Perhaps we also need to be better at the triaging of needs, much like a waiting room. I suppose I’ll find out more once elected about how realistic that is……
On the flip side – with technology there are so many tools that could be used to step people through issues in a way that is more satisfactory than what we are doing now.
We are also in a litigious society where people are scared not to follow the law to the nth degree. I imagine we will reach a time where we will have to make compromises.
One example is the shift to tiny homes. Just a slight loophole can allow people to live in a dignified independent way with a low footprint.
James Allan
Question 1 – In my experience over the last several years the community’s concerns about and issues with council seem to outweigh their praise. Let us start with basic, business as usual council functions being neglected, the roads are in a poor state and maintenance of our main streets is lacking. Compared to many other councils on the coast and inland, street maintenance, cleaning and management needs serious attention. If we want business owners, residents and visitors to be proud of our towns then the council must help to instil that pride by taking better care of our streets and infrastructure. Secondly the efficiency in the office at council must be improved. Simple issues that businesses need simple solutions can take weeks, months or even years to resolve, all the while businesses are left in limbo and money is being lost. The same can be said for residents, building approval takes a ridiculous amount of time for even very basic jobs. If elected, fixing these issues will be my first focus.
Question 2 – The problems with both of these projects seems to be a lack of real expert opinion on viability, cost and need for the community. Council should seek consultancy, determine whether projects are needed, wanted and financially viable then make this information easily accessible to the community. Council works with a finite budget so any major works must be carefully considered, with future projections taken into account.
Question 3 – From a business perspective it is a very confusing process to find the correct people to go to with issues at council and unfortunately even if you find the supposed right person issues get passed around and the whole process is slow and cumbersome. Business owners in this region are extremely hard working and very time poor, council needs to understand this and never be an obstacle that people have to overcome, council must work for and actively support businesses.
Allison Whaites
Question 1 – As a current councillor who is very active within the community there has been positive feedback as they can see things are happening, roads are being fixed and great events held like the Marketta. The highest concerns are cost of living, youth crime and lack of housing. The negative commentary I have been able to support with accurate information to debunk inaccurate Facebook post and media reports. With this current council we have seen a wonderful CVC magazine, media and good news stories to show achievements.
Question 2 – As a councillor who fought hard for the Regional Aquatic Centre, I am very satisfied this current council we have been able to achieve previous terms have not. It was a hard slog going against NIMBY councillors who didn’t understand good debt and our role delivering infrastructure for our community.
It is our role to delivery fit for the future and both projects are to support our community and growing community now and into the future. The past few years CVC have done a wonderful paying down debt so we can supply state of the art infrastructure. Our community deserve to have a great place to live and call home!
Question 3 – As a current councillor my contact details have always been public, and my business was always open to the community. As a Grafton resident I enjoyed being stopped in the streets and shops by the community. Once I have explained ‘REPORT IT’, the feedback is very positive ad things get done.
Community feedback was they were not happy both previous and current Mayor’s did not supply their mobile numbers only CVC office number and were unable to reach them
Cristie Yager
Question 1 – I’ve had my own personal concerns about council, for quite some time which is why I finally bit the bullet and decided to stand myself. Since doing so back in February, I’ve spoken to many people, and I’ve found I am not alone in my thoughts. We do not feel heard. It feels like the council has lost its sense of community and is very corporate. Council should not be primarily a money-making business; it should provide the services the community needs to function happily and safely. This of course cost money. But ratepayers are telling the council they can pay no more. The public feels neglected, unheard, overcharged and receiving subpar quality in the infrastructure. Some councillors are seen to be standing against the community rather than with the people, and taking their concerns back to our local government body to be addressed genuinely.
Regarding insight into things the community seems pleased about, I know that people enjoy being involved in public art projects and are happy with some areas of beautification when native plants are used in the design. Our festivals and traditional events like Maclean’s Highland Gathering and Jacaranda are loved and looked forward to. I have heard beautiful words about councillors, sadly some of which are not returning, I’ve made it a mission to get to know these people to find out what qualities the community appreciated. I found it came down to honesty, accessibility and no bull.
Question 2 – I am very far from satisfied with the way these projects were handled. I do not have an in-depth knowledge on the exact processes, but I do know that community consultation appeared to matter nil in both cases. Regarding the Grafton pool, many people you discuss it with today are still unaware of what they’re paying for and what facilities they will receive. Many still think it’s an 8-million-dollar project when it is in fact, far greater. Grafton wanted a pool, yes, they wanted decision makers to be firm, informed and to make a cost-effective choice. Through a series of events, the pool is now costing the community far more than it needed to and due to outdated numbers, is unrealistically expected to turn a profit.
Treelands Drive I find a similar situation. It really didn’t matter what the people wanted in their community centre; decisions were made despite consultation.
There appeared to be some lack of knowledge as to the feelings of some sections of the Yamba community about the need for such a major renovation of the Treelands Drive facility and if it was a priority.
Councillors can only deliberate on the information provided by council staff. Consider the recommendations and community input. It is essential that this information is given in its entirety so the best decisions can be made.
Question 3 – I do have issues with the way people are able to access council staff and elected councillors. A reasonable amount of accessibility and transparency goes a long way in building trust with the community. When everyone and everything is locked behind closed doors it does not feel welcoming nor open. It does not appear that a cohesive relationship is genuinely sought with the community. My idea of being a councillor is one of engagement and participation. I would like to see the return of public community hall meetings. I understand there are negatives associated with this as well, though I think the benefits of building a rapport with the community is a part of what a council that works for the people, should be.
Karen Toms
Question 1 – The majority of the Clarence Valley public are out there getting on with their lives working hard caring for their families running businesses playing sport enjoying the beautiful place we live in. Most don’t even follow what’s going on. I often get asked by locals down town ‘are you still on the council’
There will always be people with differing views and even some who believe we are doing the wrong thing to the point they take us to court. Just look at the Council business paper this month.
I’m sure you’ll read lots of stuff people are concerned about from other candidates. I’m very proud of what we have achieved in this short term of 2 years and 9 months. We are working to make a positive difference to residents and visitors.
People are pleased things are happening we are achieving long term goals of the community despite the fact we are also working through repairing the damage of 6 disaster declarations since 2019.
Question 2 – I don’t agree those two projects were the most contentious.
What was truly contentious was the Yamba Traffic Lights decision and McDonalds. Now those two got the majority of the Yamba community up in arms.
Whilst the Grafton Aquatic Centre and the Yamba Treelands Drive development have been long term aspirational goals of the community and identified in the Community Strategic Plan along with many resolutions over many years to get to the point where we are almost there, new facilities delivered that meet the needs of generations to come.
The Regional Aquatic Centre meeting was another where the community let us know what they wanted. The gallery was packed with supporters. They made it very clear to councillors. Unlike the Treelands Drive Community Centre, where a small minority of Yamba residents claimed they represented the Yamba community. They did manage to get the ear of several councillors, so we went back out for further consultation which costs the rate payers dearly.
All history now, but some continue to be negative. Wasting ratepayers’ money and staff time. While the community who have been waiting patiently for years for a modern fully accessible facility including a larger Library for Yamba are outwardly silent amongst all the noise and negativity.
Question 3 – I don’t, Local Government is like no other business it is complex and diverse. Council is a multimillion-dollar business providing and managing a long list of services for the community and including $2.5billion worth of assets. We have multiple options for rate payers and residents to contact us. We have two Customer Service Centres, one in Maclean and one in Grafton. We have a Report It Function on our website. Councillors also use Report IT and have had excellent results.
We have a council email council@clarence.nsw.gov.au Our friendly customer service staff will redirect your email enquiries to the appropriate staff member.
If you don’t get a reply in a reasonable time, you have choices. You can call the customer service staff, and they will chase the matter up for you. Then there are nine councillors you can call or email to follow up for you.
If you need to talk to our professional staff, you may need to make an appointment. They are busy and it is unreasonable for ratepayers and residents to expect they should be available at call.
Having set times for specialist services is an efficient business practice. What other business can you walk into and see a professional without making an appointment?
We have over 500 staff all working to deliver services to our community. Continual interruptions without notice are not conducive to efficient work practices.
Greg Clancy
Question 1 – Those residents who watch council meetings and follow the media coverage seem to be very concerned about the strong division between councillors and the conflict which emanates from that which is evident at council meetings.
Those that have expressed their views publicly are concerned about a lack of openness and transparency and the strong pro-development attitude of some in the Council.
Despite the negatives council and its many staff do successfully achieve many things on a day-to-day basis.
Knowing what the public is pleased about is difficult as it is rare to receive praise for something when everything is going well but you soon hear about it when things are not done well.
Question 2 – As a serving councillor I am constrained by the code of conduct and cannot publicly criticize council, its councillors or staff. Suffice it to say that I did raise a number of concerns during the process of approving the Grafton Aquatic Centre and the Treelands Drive Community Centre. Although I had supported the full completion of the Aquatic Centre in one action the loss of potential funding sources meant that virtually the whole cost of the project would need to be covered by council borrowings. When this was obvious, I changed my mind to support only the 50m pool in the first instance with the other elements of the centre to be built as additional funding was secured. I, along with a few other councillors, were outvoted and the project was approved in full, with borrowing of $27 million, including some funding for the Treelands Drive Centre. In relation to the Treelands Drive Centre I supported option B which was to refurbish the existing building rather than demolishing and rebuilding a new Centre. Again, I was in the minority.
Question 3 – I have received complaints that members of the public have had problems receiving a response to their issues. In a customer satisfaction survey, it was revealed that some public enquiries were never responded to. I believe that this is unacceptable. Access to elected councillors is easy and all can be contacted by ‘phone, by email or through social media but responses will depend on the individual councillor. The blocking on Facebook of some members of the public by certain councillors is regrettable.