General News
18 October, 2024
We deserve a council of integrity
Horsham Rural City Council has in the recent past been blighted by a litany of controversial policy calls, in-house disputes and an abject failure to address critical governance issues.
Any efforts to appease a community growing increasingly dissatisfied were largely ineffective.
Dissent within the council chamber was laid bare.
A botched budget process led to the appointment of a second municipal monitor in two years - ostensibly to oversee the internal workings which most reasonable people expected to have been addressed after the first monitor's tenure.
At street level - literally - a trio of troublesome enterprises stood out for all the wrong reasons.
A new four-bin recycling system was bedded in with undue haste: if you don't have room in your front yard, share your bins with a neighbour, we were told.
Sixty solar-powered app-driven monoliths suddenly replaced the city's ageing cohort of 361 mechanical parking meters, along with new parking zones and precious little advance warning.
Hundreds responded with meter moans.
And attempts to modify pedestrian crossings were soon turned around when dumbfounded planners were told their efforts had made crossing the road more difficult.
Unsurprisingly, successive community surveys have bombed.
On the flip side, Horsham Rural City Council has been blessed in numerous economic and development quarters, with the revitalisation of the riverside its most notable achievement - a brightly shining jewel on a sadly tarnished crown.
But with its chief protagonists - the mayor and CEO - no longer to play a part in the municipality's fortunes, few will look back on the recent terms with much warmth.
Now, though, there is a whiff of optimism in the wind; perhaps a sense that council could be about to turn a corner.
Maybe.
However, the introduction of the next councillor cohort won't come without a little awkwardness.
The imposition of a new single-councillor seven-ward structure - a state-driven initiative met with unanimous opposition from existing councillors - means two of Horsham's 15 candidates are already guaranteed seats.
They will be elected uncontested because no one else in those wards wanted to stand.
The remaining five wards will be decided in two or three-horse races.
It's a system not without its flaws. We must make the best of it - and hopefully make the best decisions when we decide our next clutch of community-appointed representatives.
The Horsham Times hopes this election will be a turning point for council's standing in the court of public opinion.
We will not shy away from bringing to account those issues of concern to the community - as we have in recent times to the dismay of some in power.
But we would much prefer to celebrate the election of seven conscientious individuals who will work as a team, be transparent in their dealings, united in their dedication, honest in their endeavours and - above all - faithful to their community.
On the day of the ballot draw, we contacted all 15 candidates, giving them a two-week deadline to present themselves, their policies and pledges to our readers.
We also gave them the opportunity to add a little colour to their profile, through listing a few of their favourite things - from food to music, movie stars to sport.
They were given strict word limits for their main article and pledge - and advised those items would be cut short if they exceeded those limits.
Our offer is at no cost to them, other than their time.
We are happy to report that every candidate in the five wards to be contested has accepted our offer.
Of the remaining two candidates, to be elected unopposed, one accepted.
These are the people who aspire to speak - and act - on your behalf over the next four years.
We present them side by side, in their own words, for your consideration.
We also feature candidates standing for West Wimmera Shire Council.
Five will be elected in the unsubdivided shire. One candidate did not respond to our offer.
Please vote wisely.
* For more information on the elections, visit www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/2024-local-council-elections