Voters increasingly angry over ward system, confusion remains
“THIS ward system is the biggest balls up I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think political parties should come into local government. I’ve always been against it and I think it’s wrong when they run on a ticket,” said one Dubbo resident this week when asked by Dubbo Photo News on the main street their thoughts on council.
Another couple, voiced their opinion this week.
“You’re asking for the opinion of a local, who was born in Dubbo in 1941, I have never seen such mismanagement of local government and the state government. We had a wonderful system working beautifully and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” he said.
“We don’t understand anything about the wards. We don’t know who to vote for and we just got to look at our conscience and do the best we can.”
His wife agreed. “We don’t understand this at all, and we had a good council and we would have preferred to have just had that. We didn’t like the fact that we were given a chairman that nobody knew anything about and he’s just taken over the role of everything in Dubbo. So I’d like to go back to the old system,” she said.
These are voices of anonymous residents who with just 9 days to go to election day are still in the dark about the election process.
Prepolling opened on Monday this week, allowing anyone with questions plenty of time to confirm who they can actually vote for.
Virginia Carter attended prepolling this week, only to be told she was not in the ward she had believed herself to be.
Much confusion exists for South Dubbo residents, many of whom have been so all their lives, only to find for this election they are now part of Central Dubbo.
Residents in West Dubbo are north or south ward voters.
It could be said, the 2017 council election is giving Dubbo one of it’s biggest identity crises yet, which makes amalgamation pale in comparison.
Facebook is playing its part as well, becoming the forum of choice for many to vent frustration, pose questions and for candidates to initially tear strips off each other until East ward candidates Stephen Lawrence and Cody Jones proposed an amnesty of sorts that while online in discussions about the election, to have some decorum.
The feeling downtown is that north ward candidate, Ben Shields, whose popularity waxes and wanes depending on which camp you’re listening, may well have been an intended victim of the ward system, designed to phase his presence in council out altogether.
He has by a stroke of genius campaigning and marketing however, strategically placed himself in a group in each ward, practically guaranteeing himself a seat on council by default.
Issues being raised by candidates range from stopping the waste and getting dedicated people on council staff tasked with the job of sourcing grant money instead of dipping into resident pockets every time there’s a new council expense (John Ryan, central ward candidate); the East ward candidates Stephen Lawrence and Cody Jones, and Central ward candidate Kris Stevens have called for a stand on privatisation and putting a stop to outsourcing talent when there’s plenty available right here in the city putting local jobs on the agenda.
South ward candidate Greg Mohr, and by default, Ben Shields, are keen to push for the creation of a car park on the unused rail land immediately next to Caltex Park.
Central ward candidate Vicki Etheridge, and by default, Ben Shields, have praised the tradition of Dubbo Regional Council (and the Western Plains Council before that, and the Dubbo City Council before that) of treating Australia Day with respect and embracing all cultures in its various ceremonies. She has also taken a shot across the bow of real estate agents trying to change the zoning of South Dubbo.
Wellington candidate, Jacob Perry, and by default, Ben Shields, is calling for a 24hour police station in Wellington.
East ward candidate Dayne Gumley, and by default, Ben Shields, sees great potential for the future of Apollo Estate and its residents proposing an attitude change from council and a cohesive attempt to improve the area.
The 2017 council election is anything but dull.