FOR OUR MEMBERS INFORMATION ALL CANDIDATES ARE WELCOME TO POST The following post is made on behalf of Cr Kevin Collins: I am not one for face book and do not own a twitter account but have read the current postings on the WRRA face book page and feel a response is appropriate. Please post the attached (somewhat wordy) document as I have attempted to touch on as many of the concerns raised as possible. Regards Kev Collins I suppose it is the role of “social media” to ask questions and post guesswork and rumour mixed in with the facts. Maybe that it why I avoid it like the plague. I am only going to post here once and once only, if only to assist some people to understand the process. I will not be entering into a face book debate but I will answer my phone (during reasonable hours) and talk to anyone about anything while I am still a councillor until 10th March, as I am duty bound to do. A by-election will be called. It is due within 12 weeks. It is my understanding that if only 1 candidate nominates, an election will not be required, saving ratepayers the inconvenience and expense. This is not just Div 2 ratepayers expense; an election expense is carried by council so is ultimately a cost to all ratepayers but only voters in Div 2 have a vote. No-one else has a say, not the Mayor, not other councillors, not the State Government, just the residents of Div 2. I do not know how much it would cost to hold a by election. I have never put in an expense claim during my the 2 years in council so to some degree feel legitimate expenses that I could have claimed (such as car mileage) will off-set, to some degree, the by-election costs, but do feel some guilt at causing this inconvenience. It will only cause a monitory cost if an election is actually contested. An uncontested election will cost rate payers little if anything in dollar terms, and result in a prompt replacement and let council get on with the job. I am supporting former Mayor Mario De Martini as an experienced, calm, elder statesman and just what is needed to deal with the volatile situation. Council does not need a loose cannon, nor does it need another overly opinionated and overbearing councillor like me at present. This is not a time for a novice. Mr De Martini and I ran a close race in the 2012 election and after preferences it became very much a 2 horse race. With the backing of my “voting block”, his own “voting block” and general common sense, Mr De Martini would win any election for Division 2 in a landslide. Anyone choosing to run against him will be wasting both their time and money as well as the community’s time and money and I would ask that they put rational thought before personal ambition and allow an uncontested election. It is every person’s right to stand for an election and pursue a protest vote but I would urge anyone wishing to run for any division to let the dust settle and stand for any division they feel most suited to at the next council general elections, whenever that may be. I note Andrew Finlay has already stated his intent to nominate and I would counsel him to reconsider for the sake of unity and to bring the voice of calm, experienced reason to council at a time when it is most needed. Andrew and anyone close to him should “do the numbers” and realise the folly and cost to all of us of having to hold a physical by-election. Neither myself nor Mr Demartini were endorsed by the WRA at the last election, they chose instead to endorse 2 other candidates in division 2. I held a lengthy meeting with Mr DeMartini before announcing my resignation and subsequent to this meeting I determined he would have my full and unequivocal support as a consequence of positions he takes on a range of issues we agree upon. He is however, his own man, but has probably forgotten more than I will ever know about local government. He is a good and honest man. I cannot say it has been always a pleasure to serve, nor do I anticipate everyone will be sad to see me go, but hope people will accept that the decisions I made were made without fear or favour and on the basis of what I believed to be in the best interests of the community. Thank you Kev Collins
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 07:58:34 +0000
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