Michael Leaney

Michael Leaney admits he is a person that has criticised the performance of Baw Baw Shire in the past, so what better way to fix the problem than stand himself.

Mr Leaney has voiced his disapproval of council in the past, even suggesting Walhalla, Erica and Rawson would be better treated in Latrobe City.

He said it was easy to sit on the outside, “now I want to get in the room and get a better deal for small towns.”

“Baw Baw Shire has a very poor record in the east and if we want to change that, I have to get in and have a go.

Mr Leaney has owned property at Walhalla for 25 years and lived there for 18 years.

He is president of the Walhalla Mountain Rivers Tourism Association, president of the Walhalla Goldfields Railway as well as a number of Walhalla town committees including the heritage league.

Mr Leaney said he saw the election as an opportunity to get some focus back into small communities.

He said he had watched services disappear from small rural communities across the shire.

He said the current council’s closure of the Noojee library and Trafalgar customer service centre were examples of what small towns had been seeing for years.

“It’s about economic rationalisation but unfortunately they lose sight of what makes up a community.

He said a proposal to sell a linear reserve in Trafalgar earlier this year was an example of council losing sight of its community, yet similar sales had already occurred in Rawson.

Mr Leaney said the eastern end of the shire had been treated as second class citizens.

“The good days of Baw Baw Shire (after amalgamation) have slowly withered away. I have seen a slow but sure decline of services.

“There is a growing disinterest of anything beyond Drouin.

Mr Leaney said he was stunned at the dollars that were blown away by council – “quite often it’s only a few hundred here and there but it adds up. “I find it ironic the shire could not find $14,000 to keep the Noojee library open but then pays money to contractors to dig up the road pavement in Queen St, only to pay to have it reinstated a week later.

Mr Leaney said the ward restructure will provide more opportunities for east ward residents to be represented, saying David Balfour “tried his best, but was only one voice.”

“The east ward now at least has the ability to at least have a voice.” Warragul and